Prisoners of Fate
by Sarcastic Avenger
Summary: For three years, Naruto and Sakura have searched for Sasuke. For three years they’ve fought together, enduring pain and hardship, risking all to save their former comrade from himself. A new lead has surfaced, and a dangerous gamble must be made.
1. Chapter 1: Unchained

Chapter 1: Unchained

**Author's Notes: **Revised as of 2/18/10. Expect revisions to come in later chapters as well. Some general notes for new readers: I didn't rate this story "M" for shits and giggles.

* * *

On a back country dirt road, deep in the hinterland of the Country of Fire, there sat a small way station. It was a cozy little Inn snuggled in the warm embrace of the vast forests of the country, and offered all the amenities a weary traveler could ever dream of. It had a small general shop, as well as a pleasant restaurant, comfortable and spacious rooms, and a large bath fed from a natural hot spring.

Indeed, its warm glow was even more welcoming on this chilly night in early spring. The full moon bathed the area in a pale, ethereal glow; it was clear that magic was in the air, in more ways than one. Today was Sakura's eighteenth birthday, and the rest of Team Kakashi was throwing her an ad hoc birthday celebration at the restaurant. It wasn't a grand celebration, but considering the importance of their mission, the fact that they had even remembered to celebrate her birthday was a testament to her friend's care, respect, and admiration of her.

Kakashi, Sai, Naruto, and the birthday girl Sakura had just sat down in a corner booth, out of the way of the buzz of the restaurant. They had all bought gifts before they had left on the trip, and had waited for this moment to give them to her. To Sakura, it was a little excessive; just being able to enjoy the company of her friends the greatest gift anyone could give her right now.

The celebration was a little out of place, as well. They were on an S-rank mission, the toughest and most demanding mission that would likely _ever_ be on in their lives: a complex operation to rescue Sasuke from Orochimaru. This would also be their last chance at this, for if they failed now, not only would they likely die, but also time was completely against them. They had a short window of time to secretly meet a Suna mole planted in Orochimaru's organization. The mole would give them the detailed information that they'd need to pinpoint Sasuke, and retrieve him by force. The window for this part of the operation would be even shorter, but luckily they'd have help for this part. They'd rendezvous with Team Guy, Team Ten, and the three Suna siblings: Kankuro, Temari, and the Kazekage himself, Gaara. Tsunsade had pulled out all the stops on this one.

The details were fuzzy still, but those would be decided after the rendezvous with the Suna spy. Right now, this was all in the back of everyone's mind. Today was Sakura's day, her first step into full adult hood. Over the past three years, her growth as a kunoichi had been nothing short of spectacular. Already a master medic-nin three years before, three more years of close study under Tsunade and Kakashi had brought her to the cusp of surpassing even the great Tsunade. Her strength and reflexes had only continued to build, and her talent with the use of Genjutsu had grown and flourished with the help of Kakashi. A snap of her fingers, and even the most experienced shinobi would soon find themselves doubting which way was up or down, or even their own purpose in fighting. No one was prouder of her accomplishments then her constant companion, Naruto.

After they settled into the booth, and ordered their drinks, Kakashi stood, holding his glass of sake on high. A small tear was forming in the corner of his eye as he said, "A toast to the birthday girl, our dear friend Haruno Sakura: she has been loyal and a devoted friend for many years. She has grown into a magnificent kunoichi, and a magnificent woman. It has been the greatest honor of my life to teach you, and to finally see you take your first step to adulthood." A single manly tear of joy ran down his cheek.

Naruto stood up next, raising his glass in honor. He was as confident as ever, and practically overflowing with joy. "Sakura-chan, you've been my best friend for these three, long, hard years of searching for Sasuke. Together, we've seen tremendous hardships. You've saved my skin dozens of times now. I'm glad to have been with you through it all. Cheers!"

Now it was Sai's turn. He'd practiced his smile especially for this moment, to make it appear as genuine and affectionate as possible. This time it worked. "Sakura, I can't thank you enough for all that you've done for me. You've taught me what friendship means, and all the other joys of being human. Thank you for it all."

Sakura stood, and raised her glass to accept the toast. "Aww guys," she said, her voice filled with warmth and affection, "You've been great friends to me, all of you. All this praise…I really don't know what to say. This is the happiest day of my life. I've been privileged to be able to spend it with you three." She clinked her glass up against theirs one by one. As they slowly sipped at their drinks, tears starting steaming down from her eyes. She tried to blink them away as she said, "Thank you so much, guys."

As they sat down upon finishing the toast, the appetizers arrived. Naruto, in typical fashion, started gobbling some down. Sai imitated him; their silly contests reminded Sakura of simpler days, when Sasuke-kun was still with them, and he would compete with Naruto over everything. Even if Sasuke had left, shattering her and Naruto's life, some things would never. Naruto would always find a compulsion to compete at trivial, silly things. Back then, it was serious, but now he did it just for fun. It was part of what was endearing to her. Naruto's boyish incorruptibility reminded her of simpler times, and even if the very world started crumbling into dust, he would be standing beside her until the very end. In short, he made her feel safe in this mad world.

As she nibbled at a spring roll appetizer, Kakashi handed her a scroll marked with the official seal of the Hokage herself. "What's this?" she inquired.

"Something that Tsunade-sama handed to me just before we left Konoha. I've been waiting for this moment to give to you on her behalf," Kakashi smiled under his mask.

Sakura quickly broke the wax seal binding the scroll, and unrolled it. She read it quickly, and then dropped it in shock.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

Sakura was speechless, so Sai picked up the scroll, and read it out loud, "Dear Miss Haruno Sakura, It is my great honor to inform you that having completed the alternate requirements for Jounin selection, rendered service above and beyond the call of duty, and having been given a unanimous recommendation by the Elder Council, you are hereby awarded the rank of Jounin, and all the rights privileges inherent. Congratulations, Tsunade." He paused for a second, and then cried, "Hey, you're a Jounin now!"

"A Jounin! That's awesome, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried. He wrapped his arms around her in a great big bear hug. "I'm so happy for you," he whispered in her ear.

Sakura instinctively hugged him back. Naruto hugs were always unsolicited, but never unwelcome. "Idiot," she whispered back, "I couldn't have done it without you." She playfully bonked him on the head, and he retreated from his bear hug.

"Congratulations, Sakura," Kakashi said, "Consider this my gift to you."

Sobs of joy were overflowing Sakura now. "S-sorry guys, I just need to regain a little composure." She paused to wipe her eyes with a little white handkerchief. She took a deep breath, and cried, "This is really the happiest day of my life, guys. Thank you all."

"What do you mean, Sakura-chan?" Naruto laughed. "Sai and I still have gifts to give you now."

"Gifts?" she replied, "Guys, you really shouldn't have. I'm happy just with your company."

"Nonsense!" Sai half-scolded, "The book I read said that it is important to give gifts to someone on their birthday." Sai rummaged through his pack, and pulled out a piece of paper. "Here, I drew this for you," he said as he handed it to her.

I was a beautiful picture; an exquisite portrait of Sakura framed by a field of blossoming cherry trees. "Wow, Sai!" she cried, "This is really pretty, and really flattering too. I'm not that pretty in real life." She was slightly blushing now.

"No drawing, no matter how masterful, could ever completely capture your beauty, Sakura," replied Sai. Now she really started to blush. Her cheeks were a deep red color, as red as her dress.

"Thank you so much, Sai," was all she could manage to say.

"Oh, so I said it right. That is what you're supposed to say when you want to compliment someone's appearance, right?"

"Eh, something like that. Anyway, my turn!" cried Naruto. He pulled the pendant that Tsunade had gave him six years before off his neck, and held it out to her. "This is the only thing of value I have, and is the only thing that can show how much I appreciate our friendship."

Naruto had grown up in so many ways. No longer the boisterous, obnoxious ninja he was before, he was a thoughtful adult now, filled with a deep respect and admiration for his friend. "I-I can't accept this, Naruto…" Sakura stammered. She knew exactly what it was. She wondered, "_Has his childhood crush for me blossomed into real love?_" She could only guess, only the gods and Naruto knew the answer.

"It's always been close to my heart, just like my friends. Go ahead, take it. Something to remember me by..."

Why did the goofball have to be so unintentionally romantic? She reached out, and slowly made to take the pendant from his hand. As she did, he clasped his hand to hers, and his cobalt blue eyes met her green eyes. As she stared into his eyes, she could see the warmth of feeling and affection he had for her. "_So the poor guy really does love me…_" she thought. She clasped his hand tightly, almost afraid to let go and lose this moment. "Thank you, Naruto." As he beamed, she couldn't help but wonder "_How could I have been so blind! He's been here with me all along, and I never gave him a chance__!_" He was her best friend in the whole world; would romantic attachment be that much of a change? These were uncomfortable thoughts, and Sakura only now had the courage to answer these questions.

Amidst all the laughter, joviality and general merriment, Sakura wondered, "_Have I lived in the shadow of loving Sasuke-kun made me this blind to the world around me? Can I love two men at the same time? Do I?_" If she answered this question, there could be no going back. "_Yes,"_ she decided, "_admitting my feelings for Naruto doesn't betray Sasuke-kun or my feelings towards him. And damn it, don't I--no, don't we both deserve to be happy?_" No matter, she decided. She would make things right to night. She'd give Naruto the attention he deserved. She never gave Sasuke any commitments. It was none of his business what she did while he was off.

* * *

Slowly, the little dinner party died down. After a couple hours, both Kakashi and Sai excused themselves, and went back towards their rooms in the Inn. Naruto was about ready to say his goodnight when Sakura stopped him. She grabbed his arm as he started to walk off, and said, "Hey, Naruto, could you sit and talk with me for a while."

This time, he didn't miss the endearing title she added to his name. He nodded in agreement, and sat down across from her, gazing into her beautiful green eyes. "What do you want to talk about, Sakura-chan?"

"Us, Naruto. Our friendship. It really does mean a lot to me."

"It means a lot to me too, Sakura-chan." He wondered for a moment where this was going. They were so close to bringing Sasuke back now, and he had not forgotten his promise to her, nor her cries at his desertion. A pang of insecurity welled up inside: Sakura's dream would come true. She'd have her love back, which would mean no more room in her life for him. He was used to disappointment by now. It wouldn't be much of a change for him to fade away into the background while she tried to heal his loneliness and anguish with her love.

Sakura noticed. "You're upset, aren't you?"

"How could I be upset...I mean, we're going to bring Sasuke back, aren't we? We've fought for so long for this chance, and here it is."

"Melancholy then. You're afraid that when Sasuke-kun's back, our friendship will whither, aren't you?"

"Hey, don't worry, I know how much you love him. I won't get in your way, you deserve to be happy, right?"

Poor kid tipped his hand. "I'm afraid it's a bit too late for that."

"I don't know how I got in the way, but I'm sorry, Sakura. I know how much you want him, I'll stay out of your way, don't worry." He smiled awkwardly.

He wasn't quite taking the hint. Looks like she'd have to spell it out to him. "Who ever said I wanted you to get out of the way? I want you too, Naruto."

"Well, still, I won't stop you...wait, what did you say?"

"I know that you care about me, Naruto. And I'm glad that you do. I also know you're devoted to Sasuke, and even with that I know what a terrible burden I've put on you by asking you to bring him back."

"You loved him Sakura-chan. I can't blame you for that. After a while, I just resigned myself to being your friend, and trying to make you happy. Bringing Sasuke back has as much to do with wanting you to be happy as it does with my own desire to have my friend back." He paused for a moment, trying to summon up enough courage to continue. This fearless warrior was utterly at awe with her, she was the most wonderful and most intimidating person he'd ever met. Finally, he worked up the nerve to continue, "What I mean to say, Sakura-chan, is…is that I love you. I always have, and I always will. I know that it's wrong of me to say this, now that we're so close to bringing Sasuke back, but If I don't say it now, I'll never have the chance." He nodded his head in resignation, fully expecting retribution for overstepping his bounds.

Sakura beamed, her smile filled with warmth and affection. She leaned over the table, and reached her hand out, gently cupping his chin. She lifted his chin, and his sad eyes met hers. "And I think I've fallen for you as well, Naruto" With that, she brought her lips to his, and gave him a gentle kiss. When her pillowy-soft lips met his, he instantly turned into putty in her hands. She brought him closer, and deepened the kiss, pleasant smack sounds rewarding her ears.

Naruto was still putty in her hands. Sakura gently probed forward with her tongue, running it along his lips to politely ask for entrance. He instinctively complied. As she started to explore his mouth with tongue, she grabbed him by the shoulder with one hand, and by the nape of the neck with the other, and brought his body closer to hers. He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, and hugged her close as the passionate kiss continued. Soon, they broke the kiss, their lungs protesting for air. They stood panting in each other's arms.

Finally, Naruto caught his breath, and whispered, "What about Sasuke? I thought—"

She quickly cut him off with another passionate kiss, this time much shorter. "Naruto, you never abandoned me, never left me, no matter how bad things got. Sasuke-kun ran away. As much as I love him, he's hurt me too much. I can't let his specter rule my life, especially when I have you to care about."

Sakura's bottom lip trembled. It was her turn to go out on a limb. She worked up her courage, and asked, "Hey, would you like to come back to my room with me?"

Naruto swallowed, and replied, "Are you sure you want this, Sakura-chan? I don't want to impose myself on you."

She chuckled a bit, and whispered in his ear seductively, "Yes I'm sure. I've never been more sure in my life." That was a dirty, shamefaced lie. As terrified as she was, she still wanted to feel his embrace.

He nodded in agreement, and she started leading him towards her room in the Inn.


	2. Chapter 2: Unbound

Chapter 2: Unbound

**Author's Notes:** Will not be giving a serious, facetious or otherwise attempt at a witty disclaimer about intellectual copyright. Will resist the urge to pontificate on the metaphysical impossibility of propriety in ideas, and the uselessness in legislating it. Will not be speaking of this subject again.

Revised as of 2/18/10. The M rating isn't to be cool or edgy. There will be sex. Later chapters will have their fair share of violence. You have been warned.

* * *

Sakura led Naruto out of the small restaurant, through the halls of the Inn towards, and up the stairs leading towards her room. Every few steps, she would turn around, smile at Naruto, and politely motion to him to be a little more quiet. Naruto clearly wasn't in shinobi mode right now; his walking sounded painfully loud to Sakura, who wanted to keep everything on the down low.

Inner Sakura was having a field day with this. The second voice inside Sakura's head rarely ever popped up anymore, now that she had become much more outgoing and confident, but every now and then, she'd pipe up, offering a not unwelcomed "Hell Yeah!" or something similar. The flavor of today was a bold "Damn right!", complete with Rocky Balboa style punching of imaginary targets. But hey, sanity is highly overrated, isn't it?

The new couple quietly tiptoed over the positively garish shag carpet that had probably been laid down in this hallway thirty years before. As tacky as it seemed to Sakura, it effectively dampened Naruto's movement, giving her a little bit of mental comfort. Naruto could have cared less about the carpet; a dream he had long since resigned to defeat was finally coming true. The love of his life had finally recognized him, and had given him a chance to prove himself to her. He was on Cloud Nine right about now.

As happy as she was, Sakura was still plagued with some guilt. As much as she wanted the comfort that intimacy with Naruto would bring, Sasuke still weighed heavily on her mind. "_Don't let that prick get you down!_ Inner Sakura chided, "_He left you! You were willing to give the world to him, and turned you down! Besides, Naruto is pretty hot!_"

An image of Naruto stark naked shot through Sakura's mind, making her unconsciously blush. "Yeah, he is kinda cute," she whispered to herself.

"Did you say something, Sakura-chan?" Naruto replied, remembering to keep his voice down. Kami help the poor guy, he was learning.

"We're almost there, Naruto," she replied, covering up her little slip. There'd be a time for that sort of thing very soon. Right now, silence was golden. As she reached the door to her room, she fished the room key out of her backpack as quietly as possible, while Naruto waited anxiously. After fumbling with the lock, she finally got the damn door to open. It creaked ever so slightly, causing Sakura to cringe slightly. She hated that noise; it drove her insane.

She grabbed Naruto by the wrist, and pulled him into her room after he lingered in trepidation. That boisterous ninja was nervous. He truly was Konoha's most unpredictable ninja; part of that was what made him so endearing to her. She quietly shut the door and locked it as they kicked off their shoes, and then walked over to the rather luxurious queen sized bed situated in the middle of the room's long wall. She sat down on the bed, crossing her legs, and patted the bed beside her to beckon Naruto to come sit with her.

He silently obeyed, and sat down to Sakura's left, making sure to be facing her. He stared into her sea-foam green eyes as she grabbed his hand, and placed it on her knee. He gently ran his other hand across her blushing cheek. "You are so beautiful, Sakura-chan," he whispered softly.

"Thank you, Naruto. You've been such a good friend these past three years. It was difficult and frustrating, all the troubles we went through, but I wouldn't trade away a minute of it," she replied. She bit her lip cautiously, unsure of what to do next. "_Damn it girl, you are a grown woman now!_" she chided herself, "_Just tell him what you want!_" She paused a moment to gather a little bit of courage, and then pulled him close, so that their faces were mere centimeters apart. "I want to make love to you, Naruto, and I want you to make love to me," she whispered, her voice smooth and seductive. She brushed her lips against his, and kissed him, softly at first, but with mounting intensity. Their tongues comingled, almost dancing together in their locked embrace. Naruto slowly ran his hand up and down Sakura's back as she played with his hair.

She broke the kiss, panting for air and searching for the words to describe what she wanted to say. When she couldn't find any, she kissed him on his neck, earning a quiet moan from him. As she sucked on his skin, he started to shiver, stifling a cry. She broke the kiss, leaving a small hicky mark on his neck, and whispered in his ear, "You're ticklish, aren't you?"

He nodded and started running his lips over her exposed collarbone, finding a particularly sensitive spot right around the middle of the collar bone. Sakura instinctively arched into his kiss, emitting little cries of pleasure as he caressed her sensitive skin with his mouth and tongue. Naruto's touch felt so warm and comforting, she couldn't remember why she had any doubts about this in the first place. It felt so right, so natural, she wondered why she hadn't decided to do this earlier. She brought his head up, and crushed her lips into his. The kiss pushed him over onto his back. Sakura straddled his body at his waist, and pinned his shoulders to the bed as she feverishly kissed him. He embraced her, and pulled her close to his body. When she finally came up for air, Naruto asked, "Sakura-chan, are you sure you want to do this? I don't want to do anything you don't want."

She playfully bonked him on the head, and cried, "Baka! Of course this is what I want. I'm the one having my way with you aren't I?" She started fiddling with his hitai-ate before pulling it off and casually dropping it on the floor beside the bed. He smiled in anticipation, and undid her hitai-ate, which was tied around her hair like a ribbon. He carefully pulled it off her head, allowing her shoulder length pink hair to fall loosely around her head. He gingerly ran his fingers through her hair, and kissed her gently on the lips. She started unzipping his jacket as she sat up on his lap, feeling the hard bulge in his pants.

"I can see you're ready," she chuckled as she pulled his jacket off. She ran her hands over his smooth cotton t-shirt, feeling the well toned muscle of his chest. "Ooh, you're so yummy," she laughed as he uncontrollably shivered and laughed from her touch. She soon pulled of his t-shirt, exposing his well toned physique, and chiseled abs. She then unzipped her shirt, and tossed it by the wayside. Only a layer of snow-white linen bandages hid her modest bosom from view. Naruto sat up, and helped her unwrap the bindings from her chest as she shivered from his touch. It took a while, but the end result was well worth it. Naruto softly caressed the milky-white skin of her breasts. Cautiously, he started sucking on one of her nipples, and was rewarded with gentle coos of pleasure.

Naruto ran his hands slowly down the silky soft skin of Sakura's sides, pausing as he reached the waist band of her skirt. He fumbled around for a bit before finding the clasps that held her skirt tight to her waist. He unbuttoned them, and then tossed her skirt on the floor. She unbuttoned his pants, and helped him slide out of them, revealing a pair of white boxers that were speckled with red hearts. Delightfully tacky. The blond haired shinobi pulled down her spandex shorts, and gazed in wonderment at her pink silk panties. Almost there.

"I like pink," he laughed as he slid her panties down, and playfully ran his hand through her pink carpet."

"I bet you do," she chuckled. She pushed him over onto his back, and pulled his boxers off. Third base, almost home. She leaned down over his body, and swung one leg over his body so that she was now on all fours, looming over him. He wrapped his arms around her, and brought her close to him as they locked in a passionate kiss. The soft skin of her bosom was pressed onto the firm muscle of his chest, send sparks running through Sakura's skin. Oh, to be able to just linger like this forever, safe in his embrace for the rest of eternity. That would have been heaven. She guided his hand, running it down her side, over her thigh, and then back up the inside of her thigh. He got the idea quickly.

He ran his hand up and down the inside of her thigh as she kissed his cheek and neck. Each stroke, he got a little bit closer to that most intimate part of her anatomy. He soon reached it, earning of short gasp and hitched breathing from Sakura. He'd never thought that reading the Ero-sennin's smut novels might have ever paid off. Now they had. Unlike most men on their first trip that most intimate place, he actually had some idea what to do.

He was a little clumsy at first, but he could easily distinguish between the nonverbal signs Sakura gave when what he did was pleasurable, and when what he did was uncomfortable or painful. He stroked gently across the lips of her vulva, teasing but never entering. An ethereal warmth started spreading through Sakura, emanating from where he touched her and spreading all throughout her body.

He slowly spread the lips of her pussy, and continued to rub those intimate parts ever so gently, until he founded a small pearl of flesh towards the front. "_This must be the spot Ero-sennin always talked about…_" he thought to himself. He placed his thumb on it, and slowly rubbed it, earning soft cries of pleasure from Sakura. She played with his hair and gazed straight into his cobalt blue eyes as he massaged her clitoris.

"D-don't…d-don't stop!" she cried, as the warmth continued to spread through her body. Soon, she felt like she was on fire. She hugged him close, and stifled her cries of pleasure with love bites to his neck.

"I love you, Sakura-chan," he whispered softly into her ear. He waited for her permission to continue.

"I know, gods do I know," she replied. She grabbed his manhood, and slowly maneuvered herself to permit him entrance. This was far from her first rodeo, but this was certainly the first time it was with anyone who really mattered. Just who was he to her? A best friend who she happened to be sleeping with tonight? A lover? It was all happening so fast. As he entered her, she thought of all the times she had talked about her own sexual conquests with him. She felt guilty, for not thinking of what he might have been feeling then. Her breathing hitched as he pushed further into her. She kissed him softly on the lips, and began rocking her hips. He instinctively quirked his hips in time with hers. Her touch was simply delightful; he shivered with pleasure as she ran her hands across the skin of his chest.

Their breathing quickened, and it became harder to continue the feverish pace of kissing that they had sustained earlier. Gasping for air, Sakura contented herself with nibbling on Naruto's ear while he whispered sweet nothings into her ear. The warmth that had spread over Sakura's body now turned into a burning electricity. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, and her cries of pleasure went from soft coos to loud cries of ecstasy. Naruto grunted along with her, hoping to the gods that he could hold out long enough. He tightened his body, and held on to Sakura for dear life, hoping to weather the storm.

She came first. Her whole body shivered as she felt the muscles of her pelvic floor contract. The rush of pleasure that washed over her was overwhelming. She moaned and bit his neck to stifle her cries of rapture as her body went rigid, and she dug her fingernails into his shoulder.

"Ugh, Sakura-chan!," he moaned, as Sakura's internal muscular contractions overwhelmed him. He gasped with pleasure, and then fell limp on the bed as she came again, this time bringing softer cries.

They lay motionless in each other's arms for a minute, just savoring every second of the experience. Sakura whispered, "I love you," into Naruto's ear, and slowly perched herself up on her elbows, looking down directly into Naruto's eyes. Her pink hair hung loosely down over her forehead, partially concealing her face.

Naruto reached his hand up, and brushed her hair away from her face, tucking the locks of pink behind her ear. "You are so beautiful, Sakura-chan," he whispered, causing her to blush again. Instantly, insecurity started to wash over Naruto. How could he ever live up to such a wonderful woman and talented kunoichi? Doubt gnawed at him as he remembered her devotion to Sasuke. She loved the bastard so much…what was going to happen when they finally rescued him? He finally resolved his doubts: "_I don't care! All that matters right now is that we're here together, in each other's arms._" Still, he had to be reassured of one thing.

"Sakura-chan, promise me one thing."

"Huh?"

"When we find Sasuke, please promise me that no matter what happens, we will always be friends."

"Naruto you fool, can you see I've already made my choice? I want to be with you…" she paused, plagued by uncertainty. Could she really make that assurance to Naruto?

"You love him so much, Sakura-chan. I won't be angry or hurt if decide that you want to be with him. All I want…All I need to know is that we'll always be friends, no matter what happens."

"No matter what, we will always be _best_ friends. There was never any doubt to that." She embraced him with a passionate kiss, and then asked, "Would you mind sleeping in my room with me?"

He smiled, "Of course not, Sakura-chan. I'd love to sleep in here with you."

"Good. Just make sure that Kakashi-sensei doesn't find out. I don't want him worrying anymore than he has to." With that, she tore back the luxurious comforter and sheets, and slipped between them. Naruto slipped in beside her, and pulled her body close to his. They cuddled together for about a half an hour, quietly chatting about everything under the sun before finally succumbing to exhaustion, and falling asleep in each other's arms.


	3. Chapter 3: Flux

Chapter 3: Flux

**Author's Note:** Revised, as of 2/20/10.

* * *

The first rays of morning sunlight began peeking through the window of Sakura's room, bathing the bed where she and Naruto lay in a warm glow. They lay cuddled in each other's arms, in mostly the same position as they had been when they fell asleep the night before. The warmth of the morning light on Sakura's body caused her to slowly stir, and finally open her eyes to the sight of a snoring, spiky blond-haired shinobi lying next to her. She smiled, and starting running her fingers through his shoulder length blond locks. Naruto had always slept like a rock, and she didn't have to worry about disturbing his sleep.

She had never really realized it before, but right now it hit her like one of Tsunade's punches: Naruto looked a lot like the Yondaime Hokage. It wasn't as apparent before, but now that he was eighteen, the similarity was striking. "_It's like they were brothers. Or maybe even father and son,_" she thought, "_Come to think of it, the Yondaime was Kakashi's sensei. If Naruto really is related, then who better to teach him? I'll have to ask Kakashi-sensei about it. But, right now, I don't want to get up! This is heaven…_"

Naruto started to slowly stir, but Sakura didn't notice that he had started waking up. She kept stroking his hair and reveling in the bliss comfort of intimacy. "Hmm, I love it when you play with my hair, Sakura-chan," he mumbled, nearly causing her to start.

"Well, that's a good thing, because I love playing with your hair," she replied, and then kissed him softly on the lips. "I had a wonderful time last night, Naruto," she continued, "I'm glad to be with you."

Naruto didn't know what to say. He was utterly in awe of this girl, and had been for as long as he could remember. All he could do was just hug her close, and pray that this feeling would last.

Unfortunately, it couldn't. The two very reluctantly pulled themselves out of bed and started getting dressed. Kakashi had planned for them to leave bright and early in the morning, and they didn't want to give him any cause for alarm. They hurriedly went through their morning routine. Naruto soon dashed off to his room and collected together all of his things, exchanging his normal uniform for a set of unassuming civilian clothes: khaki slacks and black rock band tee shirt. They'd all be disguised in civilian dress for this next part of the mission. The less attention they'd attract, the better.

Meanwhile, Sakura hurriedly combed through her slightly tangled hair, hoping to tame it enough to look presentable. She fussed over her hair and eyes a bit, applying a little bit of eye shadow and mascara. She got a little bit of mascara in her eye; for the past six years she'd never had much use for makeup. "_If I'm going to hide as a civilian, then I might as well look good while doing it,_" she thought, rationalizing falling back into some of her old habits. Habits that she hadn't indulged in since Sasuke left.

She put on an elegant, low cut red blouse and a pair of white, low-rise jeans that fit just a little too tightly. She regretted bringing them very quickly; if by some chance they got into a fight, they'd restrict her movement. Uncomfortable thoughts of cutting her pants off and fighting in her underwear flashed through her head. She hoped it wouldn't come to that. She finished packing up and then stepped out the door.

* * *

Team Kakashi walked fairly briskly down the dirt road leading them towards the border of the Fire Country. This part of the mission would be the easiest; it simply involved staying unnoticed while rendezvousing with the Suna mole planted in Orochimaru's inner fold. They would meet him in the central market of a large fishing town near the border of the Fire Country. The trip would take another two days to reach their, travelling at their walking pace.

Discretion being the better part of valor, everyone was travelling in civilian clothes. Kakashi had somehow managed to make himself look normal. His normally unruly gray hair combed back into a Shikamaru style pony-tail, and he wore a small patch over his left eye. His slightly disheveled shirt and slacks completed the look of banality that he was striving for.

Sai too had managed to look semi normal. He captured the air of young, starving artist with his disguise. Loose fitting shirts and baggy pants, all with slight smudges and stains on them, provided a perfect way of hiding weapons on his person while remaining_ in cognito_.

As they walked along, Naruto and Sakura slowly drifted a bit behind Kakashi and Sai, all the while gaily chatting about whatever took their fancy. They held hands as they walked; forming the picture of a perfect young couple. When Sai noticed, he remarked, "I didn't know Naruto-kun and Sakura-san where _that_ close," discretely motioning towards the happy couple. Though tact was still not one of his strong points, Sai had learned a lot about being human in the past three years. Holding hands meant something.

"Well, they've been best friends and companions for almost three years now, so I guess it's only natural…" Kakashi replied, trailing off with a lingering uncertainty. Something had changed overnight. It was a small change, but noticeable nonetheless. "_Is it more than just that?_ Kakashi wondered, "_Could their bond have grown romantic? As long as it doesn't get in the way of the mission, I guess it really doesn't matter._"

"Kakashi-senpai?" Sai asked, puzzled at Kakashi's sudden silence and distant expression.

"Oh, it's nothing, Sai. I was just thinking about Naruto and Sakura. I think it would be best to not dwell on this issue until we complete this mission. Try to remain focused, Sai. I'll talk to them about remaining focused when we stop tonight."

"Understood, Kakashi-senpai."

The road snaked onwards, carving its path in an elegant contour to the rolling hills of the Fire Country's interior. The morning air was a bit chilly, but the march of spring was inexorable. Everywhere, live was springing forth into new bloom. The pine forests surrounding the road flavored the air with their sweet and pungent scent. As the sun moved higher in the sky, the air began to warm slowly, making the travel a bit more pleasant. Throughout most of the day, the temperature would hang in that comfortable zone just below normal room temperature, allowing for brisk travel without much discomfort.

The team passed by a number of other travelers on their march towards the coast, cautiously eyeing them for any suspicious activity. For the most part, they were just merchants, and no one took any particular notice of Team Kakashi. A little bit after noon, they stopped for a quick lunch of warm tea and rice cakes. The tea was refreshing and a welcome luxury on the road. Sakura took her time in savoring the warm beverage, reminiscing on fond memories of the past.

"It seems like just yesterday that we were just hapless young Genin, having a hard time just getting along, let alone completing a mission," the pink haired kunoichi mused.

"But, I wasn't on your Genin team, Sakura," Sai reminded her.

"Oh, you're right. I guess I've just become so used to you that I sometimes forget that you haven't always been here," she replied as she absent-mindedly brushed some soot off her bamboo tea flask.

"Those were the days," Naruto cried, "back when you were always fawning over Sasuke-teme, and I was always challenging him, and he was…well, he was just Sasuke, the angsty Uchiha clan genius. Those were the days."

"Oh, don't tease, Naruto-kun. We were just twelve then; all of us were young and dumb," Sakura chided.

"Don't get me wrong, Sakura-chan. I was foolishly trying to prove myself by trying to outdo Sasuke. Sasuke was being, well, Sasuke. 'Unbearably hip' is what Gai-sensei would call it—just how did he attract the attention of so many girls? I mean, he was my best friend, but I still don't see what was so appealing about him."

"I really don't know either, Naruto-kun. He was just, well, cool, and the more I got to know him, the more enamored with him I became. Sure, he ticked me off at times, but when I really got to know him, I couldn't help but love him."

"Well, I guess that's true, but so many other girls like him without really getting to know him. And the competition over him was just brutal. You and Ino were ready to kill each other over him." Naruto began to fidget a bit in uneasiness. Ino was still a slightly touchy subject with Sakura. "I mean," he continued, "you went from best friends to worst enemies practically overnight."

"I know, that was stupid of us. We're friends again now, but I don't think we'll ever be as close as we were before Sasuke-kun entered into the equation."

"Time heals all wounds, Sakura," Kakashi interjected in his characteristic tone of slight apathy. "It won't be long before it will be hard to remember what you even fought with each other for."

"I hope you're right, Kakashi-sempai. I hope you're right…"

"I just wish things could go back to the way things were before," Naruto sighed, "Everything was simple then. Sometimes I don't know up from down anymore, but back then life was good. The heartaches were small, and we got over them in time. We didn't have to wonder if we could trust our friends. I would give almost anything to see things get set right finally." But deep down, he knew that he wanted the impossible. Innocence, once lost, could never be regained. In time, all must say their last goodbye to paradise.

Sakura finished the last of her tea, and waited patiently for the rest of the group to finish. Kakashi smothered the small cooking fire with dirt while Sai and Naruto cleaned up the remnants of their small meal. When he was sure the fire was completely out, Kakashi motioned for them to pick up their packs and get ready to head out. The road ahead would be long, but if they kept their pace, they'd be in a small way station by around eight o'clock, where they'd have a late dinner and a real bed to sleep in.


	4. Chapter 4: Passion

Chapter 4: Passion

**Author's Notes:** Revised as of 2/20/10.

* * *

The cool air of the early spring made travel easy as Sakura, Naruto, Sai and Kakashi made their trek towards the sea side city in which they'd meet the Suna mole. A small chorus of birds chirped in the background as they walked, signaling winter's retreat and the inexorable march of summer. The road was fairly straight and level; a well worn line of exposed brown dirt that slowly undulated its way through the forested hinterland. Like before their lunch stop, Sai and Kakashi took point, carefully watching the road ahead while Naruto and Sakura covered the rear.

Their pace was as brisk as before; just fast enough to make good time, but not so fast as to arouse the suspicions of other travelers. By now, Sakura was really regretting bringing along the pair of tight low-rise white jeans. They had become quite uncomfortable after hours of walking. By now, Naruto began to take notice of her discomfort. He eyed her with concern for a moment.

"Sakura-chan, what's wrong?" he asked.

Sakura almost brushed off his concerns, but she stopped herself. "_Come one Sakura, he's your lover! _" Inner Sakura chided, "_tell him what's wrong. He's obviously concerned._" The few times that Inner Sakura ever did show up anymore, she was usually right. This was all part and partial to Sakura learning to trust herself; she knew deep down that she needed to open up to the people who cared about her, but it was so hard to bring herself to do it, even about silly things like this.

"Well, it's just that, well, my pants are too tight, and it's getting really uncomfortable," she replied sheepishly. Number one fashion faux pas: admitting that you screwed up.

"Oh. Well, if that's all, I've got a spare pair of shorts you can wear—don't' worry, they're clean," Naruto beamed as he began digging through his backpack. "Just jump behind a bush, and change quickly."

She took the clothes from him, blushing slightly. Sakura ran behind a tree, and breathed a sigh of relief; Men's clothes were so much more comfortable than women's clothes. While Naruto stood guard, overflowing with unnecessary chivalry, Sakura hurriedly changed out of the uncomfortable jeans, and into the pair of shorts. It then occurred to her that his charity was really unnecessary. She could have just changed into another pair of her own clothes. Was she that embarrassed that she'd made such a stupid mistake? Sakura knew she clearly still had issues to work out, but that would be for another time.

The walk carried on more smoothly now that she'd been freed from the extremely uncomfortable jeans. She walked close to Naruto, holding his hand. They didn't say a thing, because some feelings just cannot be expressed with words. No words needed to be said. The quiet serenity and comfort of their bond was plenty.

Meanwhile, Sai began looking through the smut novel "Icha Icha Paradise" that he had swiped from Kakashi earlier. For the most part, it was actually a quite an intriguing book, at least to Sai, emotionally and culturally stunted as he was. Sai's initial impression of sex was wholly negative; it was some mysterious force that made otherwise rational adults transform into heedless, blathering morons. Many of the characters in "Icha Icha Paradise" were exactly that. There seemed to be no explanation, no rhyme or reason to their absurdity.

But then Sai stumbled upon a clue to this mystery. There seemed to be some primal force that caused this idiocy. A force called "love." Sai had known the word before and had even though he understood what it meant. But dictionary definitions seldom do emotions justice, and without experiencing it, Sai did not fully understand it. Like the first human staring out into the vast oceans, struck with terror and wonder of the ferocity of the sea's stormy tempests, Sai too had just really discovered the power that love commanded. And he too was awestruck.

A coursing river of new insight and understanding swept through Sai's mind. As his sudden epiphany washed over him, he couldn't help but wonder what it felt to really love someone, or to really be loved. As he pondered this, a sudden realization hit him with the force of a sixteen ton weight. He glanced back over his shoulder cautiously, catching in his gaze the picturesque sight of Sakura and Naruto, walking together and holding hands. The perfect picture of joy, bliss and young love, if there ever was such a thing. "_I think I understand now, Kakashi-senpai,_" he thought, "_That is what love looks like in real life. That is what holding hands and smiling means._"

Sai returned to reading Kakashi's smut novel, this time with a measure of eagerness. He hoped to learn more about this curious force called "love," and to glean whatever understanding he could of love from the well worn book.

The trip continued on uneventfully, following the winding path of the backcountry road as it undulated its path through the tall stands of sweet smelling pine trees. The warm embrace of a gentle south wind caused the trees to sway in a slow dance, as if they were waving a friendly greeting to the passing travelers. As the day went on, and the shadows lengthened, the road passed out of forested back country and into a more settled rolling green grassland. The road slowly turned from worn dirt to rough stone cobbling, and the frequency of meeting other travelers increased.

As the sun began creeping back below the horizon, Team Kakashi finally reached the waypoint after their long trek. It was a cozy little country Inn, complete with pub and bath, nestled in a small thicket next to a crystal clear stream. They procured their rooms with little trouble, dropped their packs off, and then settle down in the pub area of the Inn for a quick meal. Dinner was quiet due to everyone's exhaustion, but there really wasn't anything to discuss anyway. Most feelings were understood without the need to vocalize them, especially between Naruto and Sakura. The food was okay for the price, but definitely not anything to write home about.

As everyone started breaking up, ready to head to their rooms, Kakashi quietly pulled Sakura aside, asking "Can I have a word in private with you?"

She quietly acquiesced as Sai and Naruto wandered off to the baths. She sat back down at the table with Kakashi. "What's on your mind, Kakashi-senpai?" she asked.

"You and Naruto actually."

"What about us?" she inquired, feigning detachment. She didn't want him to be worried, so she decided she'd just smooth things over and pretend nothing was different.

"You and Naruto have become closer all of a sudden. A lot closer, in fact. I'm asking about this not because I disapprove, but because I'm worried that you might allow this to affect your judgment on this mission."

"So, you know about…well, us." Her cheery expression evaporated instantly, changing into a more somber mood.

"I only suspected," he clarified, "but thank you for being candid with me. Sakura, trust me on this one: don't let your feelings for Naruto adversely influence your judgment. I know it's painful to think about, but there may come a time when you have to make an unenviable choice on a mission. And your feelings for Naruto could cause you to make a decision that jeopardizes not only your own life, but also the lives of your teammates." Kakashi sighed in frustration. He hated having to be the bugbear, but he couldn't abandon his duty to his teammates.

"I understand Kakashi-senpai. I'll be careful," she reassured him.

"I trust you, Sakura. That decision will probably never come, but always be mindful that someday it might come."

* * *

That night, Naruto wasn't sleeping in his own bed. He had snuck out of his room, and quietly met Sakura at hers in the middle of the night, like they had planned earlier in the day. She met him at the door naked, and quickly raptured him into her room, pulling him close with a powerful hug. He quickly undressed, and followed Sakura over to the edge of her bed. He kissed her passionately, and held her body close to his as she ran her fingers through his shoulder length blond locks.

Sakura kissed his neck, leaving little love bites wherever her soft lips met his tanned skin. She wrapped one leg around his, and with a quick flex she shifted his center of gravity, and pushed him over onto the bed. After running her fingers down his chest, watching him giggle from her gentle caress on his skin, she pulled down underwear.

Naruto propped himself up on his elbows. "I like where this is going," he grinned.

"I'll bet you do. I've only done this a couple times before, so bear with me. Tell me what feels good, and what doesn't work for you."

For some reason, the flashes of imagination, of Sakura in bed with another man, turned him on. Whatever it was that Naruto was feeling, it was weird. It couldn't be jealosy either; he'd long abandoned those feelings with Sakura. At least he thought, anyway. He'd felt something like this whenever she would talk to him about her flings with other men, but never this strong. He also didn't care much of romantic tripe about virginal love, or that Sakura was apparently much more experienced at this sort of thing than he was. Beyond what he'd read in _Icha Icha, _he didn't have much of a clue about these sorts of things. Thankfully she could lead the way. He nodded to her.

She put on a wolfish grin, and then went to town. Delicately stroking his cock, Sakura placed a few gentle kisses on the head, earning an ear-to-ear grin from Naruto. She ran her tongue up the shaft a couple of times for good measure, then gently wrapped her mouth around the glans. Continuing to stroke the shaft, she ran her tongue around him, earning a gentle moan from him. She accidentally scraped him with her teeth a couple of times, earning a quiet "ow" each time, before finding her rhythm.

If Naruto could have thought anything beyond "Wow" right now, it would have been "I don't think you need any directions." He ran his hand through her hair while she continued her ministrations, until the contractions came. His hand balled up into a fist in her hair as his body tightened. As the white hot knife edge receded, he realized his faux pas, and let go of her hair. She scowled at him a bit, before heading to the wastebasket to spit out the mess.

"Ow, that hurt!" she cried as she sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry, I kinda lost myself there."

"Eh, it's okay. Just be more careful next time." She kissed him deeply. She laid back on the bed, pulling him down on top of her. He fondled her breasts and kissed her neck. Her words came out as soft moans: "Now... you do me..."

Naruto looked up at her for a moment, flashing a foxy grin, before he slowly pulled back, leaving a trail of kisses down her chest and her stomach, before following her bikini line down to her pussy. He paused only momentarily, before giving her labia a cautious lick.

"Oh, keep going," she urged.

Naruto grabbed her by the hips, and began licking at the soft folds of her vulva. Taking her labored breathing as a good sign, he continued this general plan of attack until Sakura cried, "Uh, that's good, but go further up...go after the clitoris, that's where it really feels good."

He complied quickly, moving up to the hood of the clitoris, licking on and under it. He alternated between focusing on this special spot, and loving the rest of her delicate parts. Her breathing quickened, and she let out soft cries at first. But as they increased in intensity, her modesty took over, and she grabbed a pillow to scream into. The first orgasm hit soon enough, and she bit the pillow as her hips tried to buck, straining against Naruto's strong grip. The intensity of her rapture slowly lessened, but the torrent came again but a moment later. It came one final time after that, and the burning fire in her heart cooled to embers.

Sakura pulled his head up, and she stooped to kiss him. He quickly pushed her over onto the bed and pinned her arms above her head before showering her with kisses. She laughed warmly as he paused to drink in the sight of her. "Oh, if only I could have half of your boundless energy..." she cried, before slipping out of his hold and pulled his body close to hers. "Are you ready? Or do you need a bit more time to recover?"

"I'm ready as ever, Sakura-chan," he grinned. She nodded once, and cautiously pushed into her, taking delight in her shivers of pleasure. He began rocking his hips slowly at first while she guided his thrusts with her hands gripped firmly on his tight butt.

Even with her guidance, verbal and otherwise, it took some time to find her G-spot. But Naruto was always eager to learn from Sakura, and was willing to endure the embarrassment of amateur mistakes to learn how to please her. Unfortunately, he didn't quite have the experience and stamina yet to keep up with her, and in spite of his best efforts, he came too quickly, and collapsed onto her with exhaustion.

Between ragged breaths, he managed to cough out "Ugh, I'm sorry Sakura-chan, I just can't go on."

Sakura was a little miffed, but for his second time, his performance was certainly admirable. "It's okay, Naruto, this sort of thing happens." As he rolled over beside her to catch his breath, Sakura put aside her usual embarrassment about masturbation, closed her eyes and decided to finish manually. Naruto watched her with amazement: the thought of girls masturbating, let alone Sakura-chan, had never occurred to him. He watched her stroke her clitoris, and plunge her fingers in and out. With her other hand, she caressed her body. Finally, she cried out, and wilted onto the bed.

Naruto pulled her close. She kissed him once, before pulling back the covers, and slipping beneath the sheets. He slid in after her, and they lay in each other's arms, exhausted and swept up in the ecstasy of the moment. Sakura kissed Naruto softly on the neck while he whispered sweet nothings in her ear. They kissed each other good night, and quietly drifted off to sleep, exhausted from the long day.

* * *

Naruto suddenly found himself outside at night, faced with the fuzzy image of two crouching figures and a nondescript landscape stretching out before him. The image slowly came to focus, at first revealing the identity of the two kneeling figures. The first was Sasuke, but not quite the same Sasuke he had seen the last time they had met. He knelt in exhaustion, covered with at least a dozen different slash and blunt force trauma wounds. His eyes, though, were the most strikingly different feature; they were filled with sorrow, regret and remorse.

The second figure was Sakura-chan. She was wounded too, but not as badly as Sasuke. She quickly patched up as much of Sasuke's wounds as she could, her eyes fixed on his, filled with focused intent. The two were crouched next to a large boulder, which was situated in a small clearing in the middle of a nondescript thicket. The full moon shown down on the scene, providing a eerily apocalyptic glow to the scene.

Naruto found himself crouched right next to them. He tried to reach out to touch them, but he couldn't. He could feel the gentle breeze on his body, but he couldn't control it. It was like he was sitting in the passenger seat in his head while his body was on autopilot. He could hear rustling in the thicket; it was faint, but unmistakable. They were surrounded by dozens of shinobi, most likely enemies.

Naruto suddenly found himself saying, "We're surrounded."

Sakura nodded in agreement, and then brushed Sasuke's dirty, matted hair out of his face. "We've come this far, Sasuke-kun," she declared, "We're not giving up yet." She turned to Naruto and cried, "Status check!"

Naruto was both in control and helpless. It was like his personality was split. "I'm all out of kunai and shuriken, but my chakra reserves are fine and I'm not wounded," he replied.

"My chakra is almost completely depleted," Sasuke replied forlornly, "My wounds aren't too bad, but I lost my katana in the last skirmish."

"And my chakra is almost depleted too," Sakura admitted, "but, I still have a couple kunai and I'm not too badly hurt…" she trailed off, staring at the blood on her hand. Sasuke would barely be able to fight, and she'd very soon find herself in the same situation. Only the indefatigable Naruto would be able to put up much of a fight. But the odds were overwhelming. "This is the end, isn't it?" she continued, "The end of Team Seven, the end of our quest…the end of everything. Still, I'm glad to be with you two in our last moments." She smiled weakly, trying to find any joy she could in the grim and hopeless situation.

Naruto nodded in grim agreement. He hated to admit it, but he couldn't find any way out of this mess. "I couldn't think of any better way to go then all of us fighting our last fight together," he replied. He reached his hand out for one last show of solidarity, when Sasuke interjected.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, "There is another way out of this." Sakura and Naruto stared intently at him as he continued. "Bargain me back to Orochimaru in exchange for your lives."

"Wait, no!" shouted Sakura.

"You can't expect us to do that!" cried Naruto.

"Just listen!" he groaned, "Please, I can't let my mistakes get you two killed. You've already done more for me than anyone could ever ask for, and I won't let you die for my sins. You've done enough, please let me go…" As much as it pained Sasuke to say goodbye after so long, he knew that this pain would pale in comparison to the pain of knowing that he was responsible for the deaths of the only people left in this world who gave a damn about him. This was the price of his salvation, so he reckoned, and he would gladly bear it.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks, "You can't! You just can't do this!"

Sasuke gently wiped the tears from her eyes. "A monster like me doesn't deserve the love of an angel, Sakura." He kissed her softly, and continued, "This the only way."

She nodded in acquiescence. They'd come so far, and now it had come to this. "I'll never forget you, Sasuke-kun!"

"Wait, we can't let the Sharingan fall into Orochimaru's hands!" cried Naruto. He turned to Sasuke, expecting him to back down, but instead he was met with a look of stern confidence.

"Already ahead of you, deadlast. I have no intention of letting my body fall into his hands. After I'm sure you're safe, I'll commit suicide."

Naruto just couldn't argue with him. He was so determined. He nodded in agreement. "Sakura-chan," he cried, "Hand him one of your kunai." As she handed him the coal black dagger, Naruto held out his hand to Sasuke.

Sasuke grasped his wrist. "I love you, man," he choked out, "...and I'm sorry...for everything. Tell Kakashi-sensei that I'm sorry. He was right, you were all right."

Naruto could swear he saw the glimmer of tears in his eyes. "See you on the other side, Sasuke," he replied, choking back the tears before letting go. Part of him was going to die with Sasuke, and he was sure that the same was true for Sakura.

"Hey, Orochimaru!" yelled Sasuke, "I know you're out there! I have a deal for you!"

"And that would be?" answered a serpentine cackle.

"You let my friends go, and I'll give myself up freely! You refuse, and I'll kill myself right here, right now!" Sasuke shouted back.

A tall, pale white-faced shinobi walked out of the undergrowth, "Then I guess we have a deal, Sasuke. Come on over here, Sasuke. I promise that no harm to your friends will come from me."

Sasuke painfully stood up, and limped towards Orochimaru, carefully concealing his kunai. When he was about half way to Orochimaru, a sudden feeling hit him that something was horribly wrong. Orochimaru flashed a devious smile, and Sasuke knew instantly that Orochimaru had an ace up his sleeve.

As Naruto and Sakura were about to make their escape, a dozen sound shinobi blinked into view and prepared to attack. Sasuke notice this out of the corner of his eye, and immediately shouted, "It's a trap!" As fast as lightning, he drew the kunai, and made to stab himself in the heart, hoping to shock Orochimaru enough into giving up on Naruto and Sakura. The tip of the kunai stopped a millimeter away from his chest, his arm restrained by Orochimaru. Sasuke was shocked by how fast he had moved, but retained the presence of mind to continue resisting.

Meanwhile, Naruto slammed his Rasengan deep into the chest of the nearest Sound shinobi, sending him spiraling away into his comrades. He quickly made some seals, and four kage bunshin appeared in a ring around the exhausted Sakura. Sound nin continued to stream in from all around him, and he and Sakura did their best to beat them back, but it became quickly apparent that their resistance was futile.

In the melee, Naruto desperately tried to keep tabs on what was happening with Sasuke. It didn't look good from where he was at. Orochimaru has succeeded in restraining his prize, and now pried the kunai from his grip.

Sakura fought with all she had left, unleashing the ferocity of a pack of wild dogs. One by one, she beat back the advancing enemy. Naruto could hear the sickening crunch of shattering bones with each one of Sakura's blows. Even at the brink of death she could summon strength rivaled only by her former sensei, Tsunade.

But, no matter how hard they fought, it wouldn't be enough. One lucky enemy slipped through Naruto's phalanx of shadow clones, and landed a solid katana thrust in Sakura's back. The blade tore through her pink shirt, and pierced her heart and lungs. She let out a gasp of agony, and whipped around, roundhouse kicking the faceless enemy into the next world. She collapsed to the ground from the pain and loss of blood.

Naruto quickly caught her body, and cradled her, hoping to whatever higher power there was that this wasn't true. As the tears streamed from his eyes, he whispered, "Sakura-chan! Hold on, please dear gods hold on!" His shadow clones continued to fight with reckless abandon around him, keeping the enemy off of his back. Orochimaru had spared nothing in his gamble. His most elite warriors went into the fray, and they couldn't be so easily dispatched.

Sakura gasped with pain and cried, "Oh, Naruto, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry this couldn't work out."

"Shhh," he whispered, "save your strength. We'll make it through this!"

His beloved Sakura-chan fell limp in his arms. Her last breath came out as, "I love you." Naruto kissed her one last time, gingerly shut her eyes, and lay her down on the ground. One by one, he heard the sound of his shadow clones dissipating. This was the end. He wasn't going to give up yet though. He'd try to take that Orochimaru bastard with him. He formed the _Futon Rasen Shuriken_ in his right hand, and charged straight towards Orochimaru.

Alas, it was all in vain. Four of Orochimaru's elite shinobi intercepted him, and stabbed him from four different directions. The technique exploded, sending both Naruto and his hapless agressors flying out in different directions. His broken body landed with a thud right next Sakura's. As his vision faded to black, all he could hear was the maniacal cackle of Orochimaru.

* * *

Naruto awoke with a start, covered in a cold sweat. He found himself sitting up in bed, shivering from fear and rage. He glanced quickly to his left, and was relieved to find Sakura sleeping peacefully beside him. It had all been a nightmare. A horrible nightmare, the worst he'd ever experienced.

He lay back down on the pillow, gasping, trying to catch his breath and calm down. He finally drifted back to sleep after what seemed like an eternity, still plagued by the nightmare. What did it mean?


	5. Chapter 5: The Eyes of a Stranger

Chapter 5: The Eyes of a Stranger

**AN:** Revised as of 2/10/10.

* * *

When Sakura awoke the next morning, she quickly discovered that Naruto had already left. It was a little depressing waking up alone after spending the night with him, but she quickly brushed those feelings aside. She lay in her hotel bed, staring blankly at the ceiling tiles, lost in thought. These past few days had all blurred together; she felt like she was racing through them at the speed of light. Only now did she really stop to think about what it all meant.

It all seemed so surreal. She had never imagined that she'd find herself romantically involved with Naruto. In a way, it scared her. It was like looking into a mirror, and realizing that she didn't recognize the image staring back at her. The mirror is not lying, yet here she is, looking into the eyes of a stranger that happens to look just like her. "_K__nowing yourself is true wisdom__…knowing yourself is true wisdom_," she repeated to herself several times. She knew she couldn't just avert her eyes, and avoid learning what lies behind the stare. "_Who am I?_" she asked herself.

"_I'm __Haruno__ Sakura, of course. This is who I've always been, and who I will always be._"

Another voice rose up, from somewhere deep within her subconscious. A familiar voice, one she often affectionately referred to as "Inner Sakura." "_Such a trite and unsatisfying answer, especially from someone as smart as you,_" Inner Sakura scolded. It was different this time. The second voice inside her head never attempted to argue with her before.

"_Am I this confused about all this that I'm now arguing with myself?_" she thought. She rolled over on her side, and attempted to go back to sleep.

Inner Sakura would have none of this. "_You can only ignore this for so long. You never answered your own question. Face it, love, you don't know yourself._"

"_Well then who are you?_" she replied, her anger slowly rising.

Inner Sakura was as calm and placid as serene mountain lake. The steadiness and tranquility was almost unsettling as it uttered "_I am the stranger in the mirror looking back at you. I am the self that you repress. But enough about me; the very fact that I exist means that there is something very wrong with you_."

_"Tell me about it. I'm going insane!_" she screamed to herself as she finally rolled out of bed.

Inner Sakura fired a parting shot: "_We'll continue this later…_"

Sakura quickly rushed through her morning routine, trying to find security in the familiar regimen. It clearly wasn't working. She bumbled through her routine, almost in panic but not knowing why or how. Here she was, about to fulfill her wildest and most cherished dream, and now the very world seemed to be crumbling into sand. "_Wasn't this what I wanted?!_" she screamed to herself. Her breathing was ragged and panicked. Tears welled up in her eye. She searched for a reason and found none. A nagging feeling of guilt and self-doubt overwhelmed her, filling every fiber of her being. It was like touching Death's icy scythe. "What the hell is wrong with me!?" she yelled, trying to calm herself down.

She hurriedly rummaged through her backpack, looking for her hair brush. There was safety in the routine…safety in the routine, so she reckoned. In her haste, she knocked the backpack on the floor, spilling nearly all of its contents. She let out an indecipherable cry of frustration before falling to her knees to try to put everything back in its appointed place. Frantically, she picked through the messy pile of sundries, trying to put everything back in the bag as quickly as possible. A photograph caught her eye, and everything came to a halt.

She sat back on her heels, and stared at the photo for a few seconds. It was a picture of just her and Naruto, taken two years ago when Naruto had finally found the time to take the Chuunin exams. He had just passed, and been awarded Chuunin status. He looked so happy as he hugged her close in the picture, smiling at the camera. And the Sakura in the photo was smiling at the camera too. Suddenly, this mad world Sakura had found herself in started to look a little clearer.

Naruto: he had been the one constant in this chaotic, fucked up universe. He and Sakura had been together through thick and thin. He brought stability and even joy to her life, things she'd never thought she'd find after her Sasuke-kun left. The bond between Naruto and her was unbreakable. He was her best friend and now her lover as well. She knew at that instant, without any doubts, that she loved Naruto as much as she loved Sasuke. But, it was a different type of love in each case.

Falling in love with a best friend is a beautiful experience, but it is often so different from other lovers. While she was intimate emotionally and now physically with him, and strongly committed to maintaining their bond, she never felt the passion for Naruto that she had for Sasuke. Naruto was safe, and comforting. In spite of never having any chance for intimacy with him, Sasuke was the one who drove her wild, and still filled her fantasies. As she looked through the photographs, it became painfully obvious: as much as she wanted to, she'd never quite get over Sasuke. She could learn to cope with the disappointment and the longing, but her heart would always ache for him.

Memories came welling up like the tears in her eyes. She remembered all the times she had cried on Naruto's shoulder in the past three years. She remembered all the times he had turned to her for some comfort that this insane world could be undone. All the battles, all the shared moments of pain and sorrow, flooded forth. She slowly started sobbing, hugging the photograph close.

After a few minutes, the tears and sobbing stopped, and Sakura suddenly found the world making just a little bit more sense. She sighed, and breathed in the sweet morning air, letting all her frustrations and anxiety leave her body when she exhaled. Calm relief washed over her, and she took to tidying up her things in an orderly fashion.

* * *

As the morning sun crept over the horizon, Naruto was doing the one thing he always did when he was troubled: training. In the thicket surrounding the inn, Naruto had found a tall and massive Oak tree to use a punching target. He pummeled the tree with carefully measured ferocity, trying to let his stress work its way out the hard way

Unfortunately, it wasn't working. Each blow to the tree only made him feel more empty and troubled inside. He had been at this for about an hour now, and it wasn't working. "_Damnit_" he screamed at himself, "_what's wrong with you? It was only a dream_." Unfortunately, he remained unconvinced. His punches and kicks soon started falling out rhythm, slowing in rate but increasing in ferocity.

He stopped, and leaned his head against the bruised bark of the tree. His breath was ragged, and he sobbed uncontrollably. "I-I can't p-protect her…" he sobbed, "If I can't even do that, h-how can I ever…ever hope to fulfill my promises!" No matter what he did, he couldn't shake the feeling of helplessness that came with the nightmare. It called into question everything he'd done in these past six years, all the commitments he'd ever made.

He slumped down, leaning against the tree. He wiped the sweat of his brow, and ran his fingers through his shoulder length blond hair. He sighed deeply, and tried to catch his breath. Something deep down inside told him that he didn't deserve that pink haired angel that was the love of his life. As much as he hated it, he couldn't refute it. He couldn't convince himself otherwise.

And yet there she was, standing on the edge of the thicket! At first, Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. Then she spoke. "Hey, Naruto, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I'll live," he responded.

She walked up to him, and sat down beside him. "That's not what I asked, Naruto. If there is something bothering you, you should tell me about it."

"I-I guess I'm feeling a little lost and confused right now," he stammered, "I mean, I know this is going to sound childish, but I had a nightmare last night, and it's really bothering me."

"Not at all. To tell you the truth, I'm feeling a little lost too. What happened in it? What's bothering you?"

"Well, we were fighting together against Orochimaru, and…" he paused, trying to collect himself to say the unthinkable, "…and you were killed, and there was nothing I could do to save you. You died in my arms, and there was nothing I could do. It felt so real that I don't think that there's anything I can do to protect you." The tears started flowing again.

Sakura started crying too. She turned to him and hugged him close, wrapping her strong arms around him. He pulled her closer, and sobbed into her shoulder. "You don't have to face the world alone," she comforted, "Not anymore. I'll be right by your side, no matter what. No matter what, we'll have each other."

"I-I love you, Sakura-chan," he replied, "I'm just glad to have you with me, to be near you." He kissed her gently on the lips, and suddenly he knew that at least something war right in this world.

"I love you too," she cried, "I know at times I haven't been as appreciative of our friendship as I should have. I'm sorry that I was so blind."

They held each other in warm, comforting embrace for several minutes, until Sakura was certain that she'd allayed his fears. She pulled him to his feet, and led him back towards the inn, sure that they were both ready to start the day. But, a nagging fear remained tucked quietly in the corner of Naruto's mind: what if the nightmare was prophetic?


	6. Chapter 6: Rendezvous

Chapter 6: Rendezvous

**AN: **Revised as of 2/20/10.

* * *

After their rough morning, Naruto and Sakura hurriedly ate breakfast together downstairs in the in while Sai and Kakashi prepared to leave. They were all still dressed in civilian clothes like the day before. Naruto and Sakura ate silently, taking comfort in the mere fact that the other was there with them. There could be no turning back now, they'd cast the die and taken their chances. What happened now was largely out of their hands. All they could do is try their very hardest, and pray to Kami-san that everything went according to plan.

The nightmare of the night before still plagued Naruto. He tried desperately to tuck it away in the back of his mind, and forget that it even happened, but it was no use. He just ate silently, occasionally glancing up to Sakura, as if to reassure himself that she was still there.

Finally, Sakura broke the silence. She gently cupped his cheek with her hand, whispering, "Don't worry, Naruto-kun. So long as we have each other, everything will be alright. We'll make it through this one, just like every time before."

Naruto took comfort in her confidence. He hugged her close, whispering "I love you" into her ear. Her voice sounded as sweet as honey in his ear as she whispered back "I love you too."

On the other side of the Inn, Kakashi nodded, his suspicions confirmed. There certainly would have been better times for this epiphany, given the gravity of this mission, but perhaps this was for the best in the end. In truth, Kakashi felt happy for Naruto, now that all his years of devotion and struggle had finally been vindicated. Unfortunately, the joy came with pangs of heartache. All the dreams that could never be came flooded forth, the proverbial damn burst. "Obito…Rin," he murmured almost noiselessly, "we never had enough time together…"

Kakashi was sent on a trip down memory lane, to a time he did not like to visit but always seemed compelled to wind up at. The Third Shinobi World War was a time he wished he could forget. Within a few short years, everyone he had ever cared for in his life was cruelly ripped from this mortal plane. First he lost his father. His father, Konoha's "White Fang" committed seppuku in shame for a failed mission; shame for his unbreakable devotion to his brothers-in-arms.

Next he lost his best friend Obito. Obito gave his life to save Kakashi, proving to him that ninja who abandon their comrades are the worst scum imaginable. And then Rin, dear sweet Rin. She also made the ultimate sacrifice to save his life, leaving him alone. Last went Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage and Kakashi's mentor and friend.

For the next twelve years, Kakashi wandered the road of life alone, until that fateful day when he took on his first Genin team. Naruto and Sakura were the first friends he'd had in many years. Kakashi promised to himself right then that he'd make sure they knew how much they meant to him once the mission was over. Sai as well; he'd make sure Sai knew just how important he was.

\Kakashi stood up, and slung his backpack over his shoulder. Sai quickly followed suite, and prepared to continue this journey. "Naruto, Sakura," he called, "let's move out."

They nodded in agreement and gathered up all of their gear. The team quietly made its exit from the inn, and continued down the road to their destination. By mid day they'd be in the city. After a quick stop at a safe house, they'd rendezvous with the spy at dusk. If all went well, they'd rendezvous with Team Gai and Team Ten and begin the next leg of the operation immediately. They travelled at a slightly brisker pace than the day before, to ensure that they made the trip in good time.

Sakura found herself lost in thought again while on the long and winding road. The beautiful countryside and lush broad leaf trees reminded her of home, and all the hours spent on the training ground. One memory in particular came to mind. She'd never forget 'til the day she died the time that Naruto took it upon himself to teach her how to use the Rasengan technique. All because she made some off-handed remark during their sparring exercise that she'd like to learn the Rasengan technique someday…

* * *

Two years earlier…

"Ready or not, here I come!" Sakura shouted. She charged across Team Seven's old training ground, straight towards Naruto. Naruto quickly created half a dozen shadow clones to run interference, and began forming the Rasengan in his right hand.

"_Child's play!_" she thought, and then punched the ground with all of her might. The very earth seemed to be shaken from its foundations as half a dozen fissures split through the ground towards the mass of Naruto clones. They were soon gobbled up heaving slabs of earth forced up by Sakura's miniature earthquake, clearing a path straight for Naruto. She leapt over the shattered ground, and darted straight for Naruto.

Rather than flee and regroup like she'd expected him to do, Naruto stood his ground and prepared for the onslaught. "It's you're funeral!" she cried as she moved to within striking range. She concentrated all the chakra she could muster into right jab aimed straight at Naruto's chest. Naruto quickly moved the spinning ball of chakra in his hand up to block the punch.

The impact of Sakura's chakra enhanced punch with Naruto's Rasengan was just short of bone shattering. Sakura's arm instantly went numb from the impact. Naruto's wrist fractured as the ball of chakra contorted into a strange oblong shape before dissipating. But the punch didn't connect, and that was what he was hoping for.

Sakura shouted, "Damn it, timeout!" as she began to furiously shake her right arm, hoping to get some feeling back in her arm. Naruto cradled his broken right wrist, and smiled sheepishly back at Sakura.

"Well, I'm glad that plan worked out," he cried rather nonchalantly.

Sakura turned to him, dumbfounded. "You mean you weren't sure that it was going to work out?"

"Well, no. But I had to find out." He gingerly let go of his wrist, and nervously scratched the back of his head.

Feeling started to slowly return to Sakura's arm in the form of the tingly sensation of a thousand needles embedded all over her skin. "Well, it's better to find out here where medical attention is available then on a far off battlefield I guess. You'd better let me look at that arm, I think you broke something."

He nodded in silent agreement. She motioned for him to sit, and he silently obeyed. She knelt beside him, and carefully examined this right arm for a minute. "Looks like you fractured your wrist, Naruto," she noted, not caring if he listened or not. A warm green glow emanated from her palm. She directed her chakra into his arm, carefully mending the bones in his wrist, and healing the deep bruising near the fracture. A few minutes of focused attention later, and she declared, "Good as new!"

Naruto cautiously balled up his right hand into a fist a couple times before beaming back at Sakura. "Thanks a lot, Sakura-chan!" he cried.

"No problem, Naruto." Her arm still tingling, she shook her right hand a couple more times, muttering, "Damn, that Rasengan is pain in the ass to deal with. I'd like to learn it someday, if I could ever find the time."

Naruto looked at her pensively for a moment, and then declared, "Hey, I could teach you!"

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to take up all of your time and all—"

He cut her off, saying "It'll be no problem, Sakura-chan. No problem at all."

* * *

Unfortunately, it had been a problem. That entire summer was spent almost entirely filled with days of Naruto trying to teach her the principles behind the Rasengan. Finally, when she was about ready to give up, she completed a perfectly formed Rasengan with one hand, thanks to her excellent chakra control and medical ninjutsu.

Still, Sakura looked on the summer with a considerable amount of fondness. That was when the bond of friendship between Naruto and her really deepened and strengthened. For the first time in his life, Naruto opened up a little to someone, and didn't keep everything bottled up inside. She felt special for him to confide in her. She too opened up to him, laying out all of her fears and angst before him. The intimacy of their shared feelings gave them both the strength to carry on.

Before she knew it, it was already late afternoon, and the smell of the salty ocean air hung in the breeze. They had arrived, and a bit ahead of schedule to boot. The city itself snuggled itself close to a deep natural harbor. Its large population was crammed behind tall, thick city walls, living in meandering back alleys and crowded apartments. As they entered the city, the smell of fish, fresh or otherwise, was everywhere.

The team quickly checked in at the safe house, which was disguised as an out of the way flower shop near the edge of the city's commercial district. They quickly dropped off their excess gear, and hid some of their ninja equipment under the banal exterior of their civilian clothes. A letter had been left for them, right at the place it was supposed to be, hidden in plain site on the desk. Kakashi quickly opened the envelope and removed a single blank sheet of paper from within. "Sakura," he whispered, "break out the cipher kit."

She nodded in agreement, and rummaged through her backpack for a moment before pulling out a non-descript booklet. Kakashi released the seal on the blank paper, and suddenly kanji runes started to form. Kakashi and Sakura quickly began the tedious process of deciphering the jumbled mess of kanji on the page. The cipher that the mole had chosen to use was incredibly complex, and it took a whole hour to decipher the letter. When they were finished, Kakashi passed the letter to Sai and Naruto, motioning for them to read it silently. The letter was simple:

_The crimson fires blaze under starry skies. You shall be the quiet guest. Meet me over __All-__Under Heaven._

After reading the letter, Naruto exclaimed, "It's a riddle! Why couldn't he be more clear?"

Kakashi shrugged as he snatched the letter from Naruto's hands. Kakashi muttered, "Well, he's trying keep his head attached to his shoulders. I can't really blame him for not wanting to take any chances." He casually fished a lighter out of his pocket and flicked it on. He touched the orange flame to the bottom corner of the letter, making sure that it caught. After flicking the lighter closed, he held the paper for a few moments before dropping it in an empty waste basket. "The riddle is fairly clear anyway. We're supposed to meet him in the red light district just after nightfall on the roof of the All-Under-Heaven brothel."

Naruto looked at him stunned for a moment, and then asked, "Just how did you figure that out?"

"This is they tell us to do our homework and pay attention in school, Naruto," Sakura scolded. "But now that you mention the answer, it all makes sense, Kakashi-sempai. The phrase 'Crimson fires under starry skies' suggests the red light district at night. The next line urges us to be cautious, but also confirms the first line. _Yukatta_ can mean both a literal 'quiet guest' or a figurative 'redlight district'. And I seem to remember a building named 'All-Under Heaven' from when we were studying the layout of this city."

"Excellent work, Sakura," praised Kakashi, "we've got about an hour before nightfall, and I suggest we stop at the ramen shack on the corner of this block and eat something while we have the chance. We might not get another."

Naruto nodded eagerly, and Sai imitated him, if for nothing but for the laughs. They quickly secured their packs, and headed to the ramen shack for a quick dinner. The ramen wasn't quite as good as Ichiraku's, but it was good enough as far as Naruto was concerned. As they left the shop, the sun began to slip below the horizon, signaling that the time for matters of life and death was at hand.


	7. Chapter 7: Staring into the Abyss

Chapter 7: Staring into the Abyss

**AN: **Sorry for my atrociously long absence from fanfic writing. I promise that I'll be more regular in my update.

* * *

The red-light district of the city was perhaps the seediest place that any of them could have imagined. Besides the obvious clusters of brothels, one quick glance from the rooftops revealed an underworld of organized crime, "less-than legal" forms of prostitution, poverty and general social misery. Sakura shuddered from the thought of being alone and impoverished in this part of the city. This certainly wasn't home, not for her nor anyone who had the choice.

But she pushed those thoughts aside. Now was not the time to be bothered with such distractions. She had to focus on the mission at hand.

Team Kakashi bounded from rooftop to rooftop through the red-light district, carefully avoiding notice from anyone below. The route they took was long and meandering, but it kept them safe from detection. When they reached the roof of the All-Under Heaven, the last crimson sliver of the setting sun slipped beneath the horizon. The team quickly melted into what hiding places they could find to await the coming night, and the mission's target.

The pale twilight soon gave way to a seething sea of bright crimson and yellow lights. Neon signs of all colors flickered on, bathing the streets below in a sickly light. The pagoda style roof of the All-Under Heaven brothel was conveniently left in the dark; an island of shadows floating in a sea of hedonistic light. The first few stars started to twinkle into view, forming a small chain of sparkles attached to the pale glow of the waning moon.

Kakashi waited in silence, listening for the slightest disturbance in the serene shadows of the rooftop. Picking sounds out from the din of the bustling streets below would have been nigh impossible for anyone less skilled than Kakashi. About half an hour after sunset, the nearly silent footfalls of either a teenage boy or an adult woman emerged from the din, almost inaudible. "_About ten meters away, moving towards me at a slow walking pace,_" Kakashi said to himself, "_must have emerged through that hidden door on the west side of the rooftop. He will have to come around the corner, to the south side of the roof, where we are._"

The footsteps moved closer, and casually turned the corner. From the shadows, Kakashi saw a robed and hooded figure come into view. The figure's robes were made of dark blue silk, and looked somewhat like a male kimono in the pale light. The figure's hood was also dark blue, and completely concealed the face that lay beneath.

When the figure was only a meter away from the shadowy crook in which Kakashi was hiding, Kakashi whispered, "The silent guest is here."

Sakura, Sai and Naruto, in their hiding spots further behind Kakashi, instinctively tensed up. The situation could become extremely dangerous in a microsecond. The figure stopped, and turned towards Kakashi. In a decidedly feminine voice, she said, "Is that any way to treat your host, Copy-Ninja-san?"

Kakashi emerged from the shadow, not betraying any hint of tension or suspicion. "Is it polite for the host to conceal her face to her guests?" he retorted.

"Very true, Kakashi-san," she replied. Long, slender hands emerged from the sleeves of the kimono, and gracefully pulled back the large silk hood. She was tall, with a long mane of raven-black hair, and lithe, delicate features. Her milky-white skin was as pale as the moonlight shining on her robes. She looked at Kakashi with her warm, inviting brown eyes, and teased, "Well, aren't you going to introduce your younglings to me?"

"I don't even know you, so I think your introduction is in order," he replied, cold and stern, "and even more pressing: how do you know who we are?"

"I have my sources," she chuckled. "Well, they did tell me you were a killjoy, and I see they were right. You can call me Hana Himeko. And the lovely little ones hiding in the shadows behind you, who might those be?"

Kakashi motioned for Naruto, Sakura and Sai to leave their hiding spots. "The blond haired kid is Uzumaki Naruto, the pink haired kunoichi is Haruno Sakura, and the black haired kid is Sai." The three stared nervously at Himeko, wondering if she could be trusted.

As if sensing their anxiety, Himeko spoke in a warm, inviting tone: "I assure you we are not enemies here, and that we are perfectly safe from harm."

Kakashi nodded in silent agreement, casually glancing around. Himeko casually pulled a scroll from the folds of her kimono, and handed it to Kakashi. "This scroll contains a map of the snake's travel plans. He will be leaving his eastern most hideout, traveling to Oto with all due haste. His path will take him along the river canyon at the border of the Land of Fire. I have plotted the best points of interception on that map, along with the approximate date and time that he should reach them."

Kakashi pocketed the scroll. "What kind of resistance can we expect?" he inquired.

"Orochimaru-sama travels with a sizable entourage of Oto-nin, enough to ensure the safety of his prize in this most critical of times."

Naruto cringed upon hearing her words. Sasuke, his best friend, was not someone's prize. He started to speak, but stopped upon feeling a gentle tug on his sleeve. He turned to Sakura, who shook her head disapprovingly.

"How many?" Kakashi continued.

"From the logistics documents I pilfered, I would estimate approximately fifty shinobi, at least a third of Chuunin rank or higher," Himeko replied, "Be wary, Kakashi-san. It is highly likely that some of Otogakure's most elite are travelling in Orochimaru's party."

"I have no intention of letting this get out of hand, Hana-san," he assured, his voice as calm as ever. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Only that Uchiha Sasuke remains near to Orochimaru at all times."

Kakashi nodded, and turned to his team. "Alright, phase two begins now. Prepare to leave for the rendezvous point."

Within a flash, the four Konoha-nin were gone, leaving nothing but a flurry of leaves in their wake. Himeko chuckled as she drew the hood of her cloak over her head. "_Kakashi-san…you __go on a fool's errand. The Sasuke you know is already lost forever,_" she mused silently

* * *

Team Kakashi dashed out of the city, and darted into the forests leading inland towards the rendezvous point. Naruto took point, with Sai following close behind for quick reinforcement. Sakura followed about ten meters behind Sai, scanning the flanks of their formation for trouble. Kakashi had rear-guard.

This next part of the plan had already been rehearsed: a high speed dash through the countryside to the site of an abandoned ruin, where Team Ten, Team Guy and the Suna Siblings would be waiting to rendezvous for the final phase of the operation. If they could keep up their breakneck pace, they would reach the ruin by dawn.

Sakura took this time to finish collecting her thoughts. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she still wasn't feeling quite right. Something troubled her, and she couldn't put her finger on it. "_Maybe it's because I've been waiting for six years for this moment to come_," she wondered, "_now that it is finally hear, perhaps I'm not as ready as I should be. Either way, it will all be over soon_."

The memories of the past six years had been little more than pain and struggle, fighting to be strong enough for the day when her dreams could come true, and she could have her Sasuke-kun back. But now what? "_I've moved on, whether I like it or not. Sasuke will always have a special place in my heart, but I've found my place now. Come to think of it, __Ino__ was right. They day would come when I would blossom, and now here it is._"

"Sakura, if I may have a word with you quickly," Kakashi interrupted her thought train.

She slackened her pace, and fell back into a position running parallel to Kakashi through the tree canopy. "So what's up, Kakashi-senpai?"

"There is something you must know about our orders, Sakura. I was order by Tsunade-sama not to reveal this to you until after we began phase two of the operation."

A knot formed in Sakura's stomach. Whatever this was, it couldn't be pleasant. She steeled herself, and nodded.

"Our primary mission objective, as you know, is the retrieval of Sasuke. The assassination of Orochimaru, while desirable, is optional. However, there is something that we must do if we are unable to complete our primary objective."

"Oh no!" she muttered in horror.

"Unfortunately, yes. We cannot allow the Sharingan to fall into Orochimaru's hands. Should we be unable return him to us alive, our orders are to kill him and destroy his body." He paused, giving her a moment for it to all sink in. "I don't like it either, Sakura, but this is what we have to do should we fail. But I am confident in your abilities, Sakura. You've prepared for this day your entire life. I have faith in you."

The thought of having to kill Sasuke was utterly horrifying to her. After a long silence, she muttered, "I will not fail this mission, but if I should…then, well, I will…I will do it. I will…" she stumbled over the word, "k-kill him if it comes to it. I can't let Naruto go through that, it will destroy him." Still, she was unsure of herself. Kakashi nodded, and dropped back to the rear guard position, leaving Sakura alone with her thoughts.

Silent tears began rolling down her cheeks.

* * *

I'd appreciate any feedback that you can give. 


	8. Chapter 8: Operation Blue

Chapter 8: Operation Blue

**AN:** There are some considerable spoilers for Chapter 356 and afterwards of the Naruto Manga. You are forewarned.

* * *

The first rays of the rising sun streamed over the horizon and peered through the thick foliage of the forest. Dawn approached as Team Kakashi continued their sprint through the canopies of the forest towards the ruins. They were groggy and exhausted, but they had almost reached their destination. They found the determination to continue their pace unabated, and pushed on through the hinterland.

They soon came to the edge of a clearing. Upon reaching sight of it, they dropped from the tree canopy, and slipped into the underbrush, and began creeping up to the edge of the forest slowly, hiding themselves in the dense foliage. Peering out into the clearing, they caught sight of their objective: a massive stone step pyramid.

It was approximately a hundred-fifty meters tall and three hundred meters wide at the base. The stone step levels of the megalith were covered with vines and blossoming vegetation, providing a thin veneer of life to what was otherwise a monument of death. What could not be doubted was the fact that the pyramid was _old_, if nothing else; older than present history, and seemingly as old as time itself.

The air was electric with tension. This ground had its own ancient magic to it; the entirety of the clearing seems devoted to the channeling of some primeval force. What immediately caught Sakura's attention was the fact that the clearing seemed to be a perfect square, with perfect right angle corners each marked with a twelve meter tall stone totem. Right angles simply do not exist in nature. The sight of the temple complex sent shivers down Sakura's spine. She turned to Naruto, who now was standing right beside her, and whispered, "This place gives me the chills…I've never seen anything quite as creepy as this."

Naruto reassuringly wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her body close to his, soothing, "It's okay, this place gives me the creeps too, but it can't harm us."

She nodded, and wrapped her arm around his waist, tugging his body tighter to hers. Kakashi signaled for the team to advance, and they cautiously approached the pyramid. A figure soon came into view on the top of the pyramid, waving his arm at the team below. Kakashi cried "Phase two complete, all clear," as everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Throwing tact to the wind, Naruto broke into sprint, and ran towards the figure sitting atop the pyramid. When he was half-way up the pyramid, a second, more rotund figure came into view on the summit. "_There's__ only two people __that it could be: __Shikamaru__ and __Chouji_" Naruto said to himself.

Sakura sighed at Naruto's impatience, and darted after him, followed closely by Sai. Kakashi followed slowly, reading his copy of _Icha__Icha__ Tactics_, hoping to finish the chapter while he had the chance.

Naruto soon reached the top of the pyramid, where Shikamaru waited, smiling slyly at Naruto as he approached. "Tch, took you guys long enough. I'm not too keen on danger, but this waiting is even worse."

"Long time no see, Shikamaru," Naruto cried. He slapped Shikamaru on the back heartily, earning an angry glare.

"How was the trip, Naruto?" Chouji inquired politely.

"Long, but it couldn't be helped."

Sakura soon joined the three young males on the summit. "Took you long enough," Naruto teased, earning a sharp punch to the arm. "Oww! Not so hard, Sakura-chan! That hurts!" he whimpered.

"I see you're keeping Naruto on a short leash, Sakura," Ino jabbed, her head peering out the entrance to the pyramid temple.

Sakura blushed, as tiny little dominatrix fantasies involving Naruto and leashes bubbled up to the front of her mind. Ino cocked an eyebrow upon seeing this and muttered "I see…"

Sakura shrugged, as if to say "Why Ino, whatever could you be talking about?"

Ino was thoroughly unconvinced, but she had more pressing matters to attend to. "Well, the time for chit-chat is later, guys. Everyone needs to report to the main hall a-sap. Guy-senpai and Gaara-sama would like to begin coordinating phase three immediately. Make sure Kakashi-senpai gets the message." With that, she slipped back into the maw of the temple.

Chouji, Shikamaru and Naruto quickly finished catching up, and followed Ino into the temple. Sakura waited for Sai and Kakashi to catch up before slipping into the temple.

A large stone staircase led them down into the structure, straight into the main hall of the temple. The main hall was a large rectangular room, approximately ten by twenty meters, with an arched ceiling. A line of massive stone support pillars ran down the center of the room's long axis. Each pillar was decorated with strange indecipherable glyphs. Each pillar bore two torches on either side. The dim light the torches provided bathed the dark room with a dull orange glow, illuminating the small makeshift encampment that the Konoha nin had made waiting for the rendezvous.

Gaara, Kankuro and Temari sat in a corner at the far end of the room, their supply packs littered around them. Maito Guy and Rock Lee were sparring in the other far corner, keeping active to stem the boredom. Neji sat in mediation at the middle pillar while Tenten sat next to him, lazily sharpening the blade of a kunai.

Upon seeing Ino lead the group into the main hall, Gaara quickly rose, and walked to greet the new arrivals. "It is good to see you again, Naruto-sama," he said, extending his hand in greeting.

Naruto took his arm firmly. "I just wish we would meet under more pleasant circumstances. Last time we met, you were dead!" he beamed.

"That is true, Naruto," Gaara chuckled, "I wish it was not matters of life and death that caused our paths to cross. I'd love to catch up with you about everything, but right now we must begin phase three of our operation."

"I understand. There will be plenty of time to catch up after we get Sasuke back. I'm just as anxious to get under way as you are."

Gaara greeted Sakura and Kakashi curtly before introducing himself to Sai. Sai bowed politely, giving Gaara the most genuine smile he could muster. Gaara soon ushered the group to follow him to the center of the hall, where he called the rest of the expeditionary force into assembly.

When everyone was settled in, Gaara spoke in calm, authoritative tone: "Now that our comrades from Team Kakashi have finished the intelligence gathering phase of Operation Blue, we can begin coordinating the next phase of our join expedition. Though Tsunade-sama has designated me to serve as her proxy for the purposes of this mission, I've have taken my prerogative to name Hatake Kakashi, the most senior Jonin, as field commander. So, if you will, Kakashi-taishō, a briefing is in order."

Kakashi nodded respectfully, and rose from his seat to join Gaara in the center of the hall. He pulled some markers and some chalk from his pack, and quickly sketched an operational map on the smooth stone floor. After noting the topography, and placing a few assorted books, tools and weapons to mark key landmarks, he sketched out a number of arrow markers following the river he had just drawn. "This," he said, pointing to the arrows, "is Orochimaru's confirmed axis of advance. He and an entourage of approximately fifty Oto-nin will be escorting Sasuke to one of his more secure hideouts. There he will begin the _Fushi__Tensei_ transformation, and take control of Uchiha Sasuke's body."

Kakashi paused to allow everyone to study and memorize the details of the map. He soon continued: "We were only able to obtain this information because of Kabuto's lapse in judgment during the last retrieval operation. Kabuto provided valuable information about Oto's organization after integrating Orochimaru's remains into himself. Since then, Orochimaru's soul seems to have overpowered Kabuto's will, and returned to dominance. While this Orochimaru/Kabuto gestalt does not have the same strength as Orochimaru originally did, he is nonetheless a potent foe and should be avoided at all costs during the operation. Under no circumstances will you engage Orochimaru without my permission."

The room became as still and grave as death itself. "From what I've been informed by our intelligence sources, there is an added complication that makes the success of this mission all the more critical. It seems that Uchiha Sasuke absorbed part of Orochimaru's essence as well after he killed Orochimaru."

Naruto's mouth hung wide open in shock. The room was soon filled with whispered comments of disbelief and shock. Finally, Naruto summoned the will to speak "Wait, so that means Sasuke is part Orochimaru?" he cried.

"Precisely, Naruto. Precisely," Kakashi replied, "While our source was certain that Sasuke's will remains firmly his own, this new development complicates things greatly. If Orochimaru and Sasuke merge, Orochimaru not only gains Sasuke's kekkai genki and powers permanently, he also gains back all of his old strength. With Jiraiya killed in action, this outcome will be disastrous. This is why we must rescue Sasuke at all costs."

"This new development is most troubling, Kakashi-taishō," Gaara interrupted, "Nevertheless, I have faith in our abilities. We will return Uchiha Sasuke and we will stop Orochimaru from consolidating his power."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Gaara-sama. I have outlined an order of battle and an operational plan for phase three of Operation Blue. Sakura will distribute copies of the plan to each of you for your own reference, but I must stress that these must not fall into enemy plans. Memorize the plan, and burn the copy before we begin the operation."

Sakura quickly distributed copies of the operational plan to the rest of the team while Kakashi pulled some markers out of his pack. He placed a sandy brown marker on the north side of the river on the map, in the vicinity of a small stone monolith he had noted earlier. "This," he explained, pointing to the marker, "is Team Suna. It will consist of Gaara, Kankuro and Temari. You will be our diversionary skirmish force." He drew an arrow on the map leading from Team Suna towards the river, terminating just upstream of the river rapids on the map. "You will begin your assault as soon as the enemy van passes the rapids. Divert as much of their attention as possible, but avoid a pitched battle."

Gaara nodded with approval. "So we will pull their main van towards us, eh? Kankuro's puppets will make our attack seem more substantial than it really is, and our abilities should allow us to die down their forces."

"Precisely. After you have made contact with the enemy, and they have reoriented their forces to deal with you, send an acknowledgement signal to me. When you do, Team Ten, Team Guy and my team will begin our assault." He paused, placing three markers on the south side of the river. "The green marker is Team Guy, the blue marker is Team Ten, and the red marker is Team Kakashi. So, when we get the signal, we will begin our assault…" he paused momentarily, drawing an arrow from the three markers right through the middle the enemy's main body. "…right into the enemy van's now exposed flank. We'll over run them, separating the enemy vanguard from the van. With these rocky outcroppings here, we should be able to create an air tight sack around the main body."

Kakashi moved the Konoha-nin markers into their new positions. "Sasuke should be in the vanguard," he continued, "separated from the main body of reinforcements. Team Kakashi will now separate from the main body, and capture Sasuke. Once we have him, I'll give the signal, we'll retreat, and regroup at this temple. If all goes as planned, there should be a sizable number of reinforcements at the temple by the time we regroup. Any questions?"

No one raised their hands. "Good. Then go get some rest and build some small unit plans with your teams. The operation begins at nightfall."

Everyone soon dispersed to their own areas of the hall, and began preparing for the operation in their own individual way. It didn't take Sakura, Sai and Naruto long to finish their preparations, so they devoted the rest of their time to catching up on lost sleep. Sakura and Naruto comforted each other about the stress of the coming operation, whispered sweet nothing to each other, and soon fell asleep, leaning against each other in a quiet corner of the room.

* * *

**Endnotes:** This chapter was fairly complicated, so if you have any questions feel free to ask in a review. The operational planning is complicated and one could get lost fairly easy, but I feel that it is important to understanding the next chapters. 


	9. Chapter 9: Welcome to My Nightmare

Chapter 9: Welcome to My Nightmare

**AN:** Well readers, the battle you've all been waiting for has finally come. I hope you enjoy. There will be death and violence, as well as some strong language.

* * *

Nightfall came quickly this day, far faster than anyone would have liked. Still, everyone was anxious to begin this mission. They all knew the magnitude of this mission, Naruto and Sakura most of all. They would never get another chance to rescue Sasuke; failure was simply not an option. 

Still, battle preparations progressed smoothly. No commander could have asked for a finer team of soldiers. Everyone worked seamlessly together to plan and prepare for the mission, like a well oiled machine fine tuned to serve its purpose. They had sufficient intelligence and above all the element of surprise. Unfortunately, that was what worried Kakashi. In his years of experience, he'd seen far too many battle plans go south for surprisingly simple reasons. "_This one will not go like that,_" he said to himself, "_I will fail. Not this time, when it counts the most. Naruto, Sakura, I won't fail you._"

Kakashi quickly glanced at his watch, noting the time. "_19:00 hours.__ Almost night fall_," he mused. He stashed the last of his equipment into his pack and double checked that he had everything he needed. He rose to address the rest of the troops: "Team leaders, assemble your teams."

Everyone began scurrying about, making their last equipment checks before forming up with their teams. As soon as they assembled, Kakashi joined his team, turning his wireless radio headset to the proper frequency. "Strict radio silence until the battle begins," he cried. "Stick with your teams, and mind the battle plan, and we'll all make it out of this in one piece. Move into position and await further orders."

As quick as a flash, the operation began. In perfect silence, the four ninja teams split up, and forked outwards through the forest, speeding towards their destination. Silent as the grave, they left no tracks or evidence as they moved into position.

* * *

Elsewhere, Konoha's prey lurked in the shadows of the forests. The last rays of the setting sun lanced through the forest canopy, angry needles descending upon on a group of eight shinobi, just stopping for a quick break and bite to eat before continuing forward. Seven of them were dressed more or less similarly, in the dark and drab gray clothing of Oto shinobi. Though they dressed no differently from any other Oto-nin, they were definitely elites. 

Their movements betrayed a level of skill and grace matched by very few shinobi in all of Otagakure. Armed to the teeth, they kept careful watch on their charge, Uchiha Sasuke. He sat on a fallen log, staring at them. None of them looked Sasuke in the eye, lest his hatred consume them too. One finally did turn to look at Sasuke. The Jonin stared Sasuke down, smirking maliciously.

Sasuke immediately caught notice of his insolence, and locked his hellish crimson eyes onto the Jonin. Most of the time, he didn't even have to resort to Genjutsu to knock the more adventurous ones back down a peg. The stare was enough to make some of the most experienced and brave cringe in fear. But not this one.

"How does it feel to know that this is your last day on earth, Sasuke?" the Jonin spewed.

"How would you like to have you and your entire team have an unfortunate 'accident' and never make it back to Otagakure, Arashi?" the Uchiha retorted.

"My, my, you're a feisty little punk. I can't wait for Orochimaru-sama to put you out of my misery."

"Just keep talking, Arashi. I dare you."

"You'd better listen to him, Arashi-senpai," another one of the Oto-nin cried. The terror in the younger shinobi's eyes was as plain as day.

"The kid's already at the end of his leash. After that stunt he pulled a few years back, he wouldn't dare cross Orochimaru-sama again," Arashi retorted, "He wouldn't dare kill us. Orochimaru might decide to make his suffering permanent then. There are far more profane magics then the _Fushi__ Tensei_. Orochimaru might decide to give them a whirl on Sasu--"

Instantly, Arashi realized he had stepped too far. As Sasuke peered into his eyes, the whole world seemed to come flying apart at the seams. Every pain receptor in his body lit up; his whole body seemed to burn in hellfire while his innards churned in every direction. Arashi desperately tried to close his mind and senses to the assault, but that only made it worse. Sasuke tore open his consciousness, and began fishing through all of Arashi's thoughts and memories. Repressed memories and nameless fears boiled back to consciousness.

Arashi begged to any higher power that it might stop, but Sasuke just continued, tearing through his mind, forcing Arashi to relieve every painful event in his life in quick succession. Once Sasuke was certain he'd exhausted all the ammunition that this hapless sap's subconscious would provide him, he prepared his coup de grace.

With the Genjutsu still in force, Sasuke reached down into his own subconscious, and grabbed a neat little package of thoughts, memories and pain that would provide a nice finish to this Genjutsu torture. This pain and sorrow was special. It was the misery and agony that Itachi had given him. And now he was going to share it with Arashi. He forced all of it into Arashi's mind at once, and let it take its toll on him.

Sasuke broke the Genjutsu, causing the hapless Jonin to fall down at Sasuke's feet. He'd been screaming the entire time he'd spent in the Genjutsu, and was indeed still screaming. His voice was hoarse and broken. Sasuke looked down at Arashi disapprovingly as the rest of the Oto-nin watched in horror. "Welcome to my nightmare," he cursed. He soon turned his attention to the other Oto-nin. "Anyone else?" he challenged.

With their once fearless leader now a broken and sobbing mess, they wisely decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and pulled the blubbering blob that was once their leader away from Sasuke. They continued about their business, carefully averting their eyes from Sasuke.

Sasuke sat back down on the log. He pulled a flask of Oolong tea from his pack, and slowly began sipping the now cold beverage. As much as it was satisfying to make that prick squirm like the worm he was, in his malice, Sasuke summoned up the very pains he tried most to avoid. Thoughts about Itachi gnawed at him. "_That bastard is still alive!_" he raged silently, "_I was right there! Victory was in the palm of my hands! Mother and father could've finally rest in peace, but I didn't have what it took to kill him. He was still too strong. Now all I can do is hope that __Orochimaru-teme__ lives up to his end of the bargain. I don't want to die, but if it means leaving this hell, then I'm game._"

The tea was bitter. "_These__ damn __Oto-nin__ never make it right. They never make it like Sakura did…_"

Sakura. That was a person he hadn't thought about in a long time. And Naruto too. He couldn't help but remember those names with some fondness because of the memories attached to them. Those bonds he'd prided himself on severing were far more resilient than he ever realized. Sasuke finished his tea, and put the flask back in his pack. The pale glow of the full moon began peering through the forest canopy, shining on his face. He looked up at the moon. It was lonely in the sky as it sat above the horizon. As lonely as he was. "_Huh. There was a full moon six years ago when I left Konoha. Now Sister Moon has returned to bid me a final farewell. Sort of like Sakura on that day…I wonder what those two are doing right now. With all my luck, they're on some mad suicide mission to 'rescue' me._"

* * *

Within two hours, the Konoha-Suna expeditionary force was in position, waiting for the Sound's ninja to march into their trap. The full moon was now high in sky, illuminating the river and clearing area that the battle was about to take place on. While the other teams waited out of sight of the river, Team Suna was up on the north side of the river, waiting to ambush. Temari peered through the dense undergrowth, watching for any signs of the approaching enemy. She'd already littered the area with cleverly hidden traps. Now all she had to do is wait for the enemy to close into the kill zone and strike. 

The enemy vanguard soon dashed across the clearing near the river's edge. Temari counted eight of them. She was almost certain that the one in the lead was Uchiha Sasuke. "_Oh how I want to wring that bastard's neck!_" she raged. Gaara and Kankuro, both not far away from her, reflexively cringed at the sight of Temari's mounting anger.

One of the other seven Oto-nin was being carried by his comrades. His body was rather limp, and he looked rather unconscious. "Hmm, they must have had an accident or something along the way," she mumbled as she started silently counting off the seconds in between the vanguard and the main body. She silently motioned to Gaara and Kankuro to prepare for battle. She fiddled with her radio headset, making sure it was functioning. Ten seconds, and no sign of the van.

She unslung her iron fan from her back and continued to wait. Twenty seconds, but no sign of the enemy. Kankuro silently summoned two of his puppets while Gaara dispelled the cork on his gourd of chakra-enriched sand. Thirty seconds, and still no sign.

She heard a faint sound. The sound of marching feet and trampled grass. The rush of moving air as ninja ran through the night. "They're here," she said with predatory grin. Within another ten seconds, the staggered line of Oto-nin came into view, running across the clearing. She started counting them as they passed, hoping to get a more exact idea of the numbers they faced. "_Should be fifty or sixty_, _according to our __intel_."

He count soon reached fifty, but more Oto-nin still came running across the clearing. When she reached seventy, she muttered, "Fuck!"

"What is it, Temari?" Gaara asked anxiously.

"We've got a lot more enemies on our hands than we expected. I'm passed eighty on the count, and they're still coming."

Gaara paused a moment, contemplating this turn of events. "We continue the plan as normally, and inform Kakashi-taishō of the changing mission parameters," he declared.

She nodded. Finally, the last Oto-nin in the van passed. "One-hundred and eleven…well, I guess we'll just have to work a lot harder and reducing that number." She grabbed a thin steal wire by her feet, and gave it a strong tug. The sound of large explosions echoed across the meadow, followed shortly by the surprised screams of dying men.

All three bolted out of cover, and dashed the one hundred meters across the clearing the exposed flank of the enemy van. As they approached, Temari slashed at the air with her fan, summoning up a powerful sickle wind. The invisible wind blades slashed at the rearmost Oto-nin, who had turned just in time to see the manner of their demise. The blades cut down half a dozen of the surprised enemies in a single stroke.

Kakuro's puppets moved in for close combat, slashing at their foes with large nodachi blades. Gaara waited in reserve to counter the enemies response.

On the other side of the battle line, senior Jonin rallied the surprised Oto shinobi, and turned the small army around, ready to bring it to bare on the enemy at their heels. A small wave of kunai lanced out Team Suna, only to be intercepted by a wall of sand. Kankura summoned a third puppet to support the other two. This third model poured down a withering hail of needles at the enemy, effectively locking down any counter attack.

Temari crouched behind her fan, and radioed for Kakashi. "We have engaged the enemy, Kakashi-taishō. Repeat, we have engaged the enemy. Be advised, there are about twice as many enemy nin than we expected."

"Acknowledged, Temari-kun. We're on our way. ETA, three minutes," came the reply.

No sooner had she received the reply, she heard Gaara yelling "Temari, watch out!" She felt a rush of hot air moving her direction, and quickly bolted away. The flames of a fireball technique licked at her fan and singed her clothes as she dodged away. As soon as she hit the ground, she sent a _Kamaitachi__ no __Jutsu_ right back in the direction of the enemy who has summoned the fireball. He nimbly dodged the sickling wind.

"Temari, you and Kankuro lay suppressive fire," Gaara cried, "I'll pick off the enemy elites." His sand lanced out towards the fire jutsu user, quickly ensnaring him. As soon as Gaara had him within the sand, he crushed the poor sod to death with merciful quickness before seizing a second victim. After he was finished with her, he moved his sand back into a defensive barrier.

"We only need to hold out for three minutes," Temari cried.

Gaara and Kankuro both nodded, and continued focusing on the skirmish. The puppets withering hail of needles had taken its toll on the enemy force, killing or incapacitating many of the weaker enemy shinobi. The screams of the dying were the chorus to the pounding rhythm of metal meeting metal, the veritable music of Bishamonten himself.

The battle raged on in the sickly glow of the full moon, as Team Kakashi, Team Guy and Team Ten raced to aid their comrades.

* * *

**Endnotes: **Please read and review. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. 


	10. Chapter 10: Reunion

Chapter 10: Reunion

**AN:** It's the moment you've all been waiting for! Thanks for sticking with me this far. Please read and review.

* * *

For Kakashi, the next three minutes were the longest three minutes of his life. They had all crossed the proverbial Rubicon; there could be no going back now. The only option now was to see this through to whatever end. For the first minute of that eternity, Kakashi ran through ever possible permutation of the battle's course that he could think of. He knew he had to stay on top of every possible turn of events; this battle was far too important to leave anything to chance. He couldn't leave any opening to the enemy to exploit. 

His train of thought soon took him to all of the old military classics he'd read in his teenage years while he was studying for the Jonin exams. One quote in particular stood out in his mind: "All warfare is based on deception." The implication of this was truly frightening. The fundamental problem with all battle plans is that they are made by humans. Humans are subjective beings, and any strategy can only ever be as good as the information that led to its formulation. Even the slightest amount of information missed can drastically change an individual's perception of reality. 

Kakashi would never forget what his friend and sensei, Namikaze Minato, said to him after the conclusion of the disastrous mission that claimed the life of his comrade Obito. While Kakashi lamented his blindness and stupidity in front of the Cenotaph, Minato approached him quietly. Minato placed his hand on Kakashi's shoulder while he was kneeling in tears, and whispered to him, "You can't blame yourself, Kakashi. There was no way you could have known what was going to happen. No one could have known."

"That doesn't matter, Minato-sensei. I fucked up. There's nothing more to it," Kakashi replied sullenly.

"The only truth is your own, Kakashi. That is the most sacred lesson I have ever learned. When you realize that, you will understand that this wasn't your fault anymore than it was Obito's."

It had taken him a long time to truly understand what Minato's words truly meant. Our entire perception of reality and the world around us is nothing more than an image we paint from our experiences. It is no more reality than a picture of a pipe is an actual pipe. It is nothing more than an image, and we reflect ourselves into the image of reality that we have. And when the mirror speaks, the reflection lies. Therein lies the problem.

Battles are not fought with open playbooks and all the cards face up. All warfare is based on deception, and the enemy knows this just as well as we do. Because we reflect ourselves into our image of the world, we see most clearly that which _we want to see_. If the enemy shows us what we expect while concealing the truth, than he has become the master. This is the possibility that frightened Kakashi; the possibility that this "opportunity" was presented as a lure. And where 

there is a lure, there is a trap waiting to be sprung. The sudden revelation that Sasuke was travelling with twice as many soldiers as was expected made this possibility seem all too likely. 

While his mind raced to compensate, the thunder of the battle in the distance slowly grew in intensity. They were close, but eternity still dragged on. Finally, Kakashi decided that there was nothing more he could do now. He was as prepared as he could ever be, and there was no use looking back and thinking about what he could have or should have done. He needed to focus all his efforts on deciding what should be done in the here and now.

Naruto knew just as well as Kakashi how high the stakes were, and was no less determined to see this through to the end. He had bled and toiled six long years for this one chance to right every wrong and bring his friend back home where he belonged. He'd fulfill his promise of a lifetime that he had made to Sakura so long ago. Maybe then she'd stop crying in her sleep; crying silent tears that only Naruto ever noticed. Sakura herself didn't even know she did it, but every time Naruto saw it, it broke his heart. So long as he brought Sasuke back, nothing else mattered. "_Come what may, I will bring him home,_" Naruto declared, as if he were challenging the gods themselves. He would keep that promise, even if it destroyed him.

In truth, Naruto wanted to bring Sasuke back home as much for his own sake as for Sakura's sake. He'd been separated from his friend, nay, his blood brother, for far too long. He couldn't let Sasuke destroy himself. Sasuke had been living as a ghost for far too long; a twisted wraith of his former self, utterly consumed by hatred. Such a life is no better than living death, and Naruto knew better than anyone the personal hell that such a life was. No one that was precious to him could ever be allowed to live such a nightmarish existence. "_I'd rather die_," he told himself, "_I'd die a thousand deaths gladly before I let that continue to any of my precious people._"

But still, he'd have to make it though this battle. Dear Sakura-chan was counting on him to make it through too. It felt good to know that he'd become as precious to her as she was to him. Before they left, she made him promise to her that he'd make it through this battle alive. He had no intention of dying right now, if it could be helped.

They were close by now. It would only be a few more seconds before they'd plunge headlong into the melee. They could hear the thunder and the cries of agony, the excited shouts of orders by officers. The din of war hung thick over the land as Kakashi's strike teams broke free from the tree cover, and raced across the surprisingly placid surface of the river. The enemy formation was now in sight, their backs turned, completely unaware that they were about to be enveloped. Kakashi uncovered his Sharingan, giving his team the signal to begin the plan. 

Shikamaru darted ahead of the rest of the group, with Neji and Lee following close behind him. Shikamaru's shadow stretched and snaked across the twilight battlefield, ensnaring a long corridor of enemy reserve shinobi. By the time the enemy nin noticed they could no longer move, it was already too late. With inhuman efficiency, Neji and Lee overran their helpless foes, striking them down one by one while they gazed in helpless horror at the twin angels of death that came for them. A dozen down in three seconds. Not bad, but Lee thought that they could have done better.

The rest of Kakashi's strike team poured into the vacuum created by Neji and Lee, cutting off the enemy's escape route. The moment Kakashi touched down on the field of battle, his hands moved into a lightning blur of hand seals. He fired a grand fireball straight into a cluster of Oto-nin, who only now turned to see their doom sneaking up from behind them. They met an agonizing, messy end, charred to dust in the raging inferno. A couple managed to jump out of the path of the fireball, escaping with only third degree burns. Another half-dozen enemy down, give or take a few.

The sickening rank of charred flesh wafted over the battlefield, enough to make even the strongest wills want to lose their lunch. Neji and Lee soon plunged into the melee once more, clashing with the enemy up close and personal, denying them any reprieve from the fight. Kakashi soon joined Neji and Lee in the melee, saving his chakra for more important targets. Gai, not to be outdone by his rival, joined Kakashi, creating his own chorus of shattering bones to complement Kakashi's more subtle attacks.

"Shall we place a friendly wager on this, Kakashi-san?" Gai cried out in between punches.

"Now is really not the time, Maito Guy," Kakashi retorted, as he ducked under a volley of shuriken.

"Nonsense! Whoever loses the KO count buys the victory meal!" Gai declared, upping the ante of their normal friendly rivalry. He delivered a round house kick to an Oto genin who had the misfortune of winding up in his path, and was the reward with the sound of cracking vertebrae. "That's six for me now, Kakashi."

" Whatever Gai. I'm at ten now anyway. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Gai smiled, flashing his sparkling teeth. Kakashi knew immediately that this was going to be a long night.

Elsewhere, Ino and Shikamaru played long range support. Shikamaru used his Shadow Bind to halt enemy counterattacks, providing the strikers the perfect opportunity to take them down. Ino lay collapsed by his side. In the confusion of the battle, she had pinpointed an important looking enemy Jonin in the enemy's ranks, and performed the Mind transfer technique. As soon as she had the hapless man, she began fucking with the enemy's chain of command. In the years she'd spent watching Shikamaru strategize, she'd picked up a thing or two about tactics; for the most part, she knew what _not_to do if she wanted to win a battle.

She barked out all the worst orders she could think of, effectively paralyzing an entire division of the enemy group. In the confusion created by the battle, no one would know any better until it was too late. She guided Oto-nin into waiting traps that Shikamaru and Kakashi had briefed her on before the start of the battle. This tactic was dirty, underhanded, malicious; very much like gossiping done at the end of a blade. And she loved every second of it.

Now that the preliminary preparations were complete, it was Chouji's turn to enter into the battle. Naruto, Sai and Sakura held the right flank of the Konoha battle line, skirmishing with the 

enemy to keep them from out flanking the smaller Konoha force. To his left, Neji, Lee, Gai and Kakashi tore into the enemy ranks, threatening to link up with the Suna force on the enemy's opposite flank. And Chouji would hold the center, with Tenten as his back up. Three years before, he was already a man of imposing stature. Now he was a veritable titan, and he knew how to throw his weight around to the greatest effect. He used a naginata pole arm with deadly efficiency to extend his reach. The powerful pole-arm weapons suited Chouji fighting style perfectly. He knew his part of the battle plan. He would be the fulcrum on which the entire battle pivoted. He could hold the entire center of their line by himself, so indomitable was his strength.

* * *

Sasuke heard the unmistakable roar of the Grand Fireball technique thundering in the distance, perhaps a kilometer behind him. He held up his hand, signaling the vanguard to halt. "So they actually did decide to come for me. Fools," he declared. "This is an unexpected turn of events."

He turned his gaze to his Jonin escorts, staring them down with malicious cunning. He studied their reactions carefully. Over the course of the past few years, he'd become quite good at reading people. The Sharingan gave him the perfect tool to dissect his opponents involuntary reactions and chakra flow. After five seconds of staring, he cackled, "So this was a trap all along, wasn't it?"

The nominal leader of his escort tried to check his reaction, but he involuntarily flinched anyway. Such a reaction would have been unperceivable to anyone but the most careful observer. But to Sasuke, it gave everything away. Sasuke stared into the Jonin's eyes, paralyzing him with fear. But he couldn't look away from the hellion that began peering into his soul. "Hell of a time for tasteless tactics," Sasuke spat, "Why wasn't I informed of this plan or the intelligence leak?"

There was no point in playing dumb anymore, so the poor man spilled his guts. "Orochimaru-sama felt that it was best that you didn't know. He didn't want you getting any _ideas_."

Sasuke heard a rustling in the trees behind him. "Hmm. A genius plan, I suppose," Sasuke declared, as if he was reading the Jonin like an open book. "You have me scurry along back to Otogakure while you and the forty or so reinforcement's behind me go and trap the Konoha team sent after me. There's only one problem with it."

"Enlighten us, Sasuke-sama," challenged an Oto shinobi emerging from the trees behind Sasuke.

"I have _no_ intention of going along with it, Masato-teme. You deadlasts can go scurrying off to your deaths for all I care, but I intend to stay right here until either Konoha or Orochimaru comes for me. As for why, you leave my reasons to me. But if you try to stop me, I _will kill you all_."

It was very clear that there could be no arguing with the fiend. Killing all of them might have been a stretch, but it wouldn't be outside the realms of possibility. "Fine, have it your way, Sasuke," Masato replied, "Just remember, that tomorrow night, I will still be among the living." He spat on the ground, and motioned for his troops to follow him towards the battle in the distance.

Sasuke perched himself on a fallen log, and waited for the Oto-nin to leave. In truth, Sasuke didn't know quite why he was going to do this. Part of it was certainly out of just plain spite. He hated being deceived most of all. Orochimaru could come get him if he wanted him so badly. Part of it was the desire to stretch his legs one last time, and have a good fight before he died. In this living death of hatred that he lived, the only times he ever felt truly alive were when he was engaged in a fight. 

But some of it, he wasn't so sure of. Maybe he wanted to see Naruto and Sakura one last time. He didn't want to kill them, but he wouldn't allow them to keep him from his revenge. Orochimaru would have his body, but his soul would finally be at rest, with the knowledge that Itachi would surely meet his end.

"They'll come. I'm sure of it," he said to himself. "I'll tell them to give up and move on. I'll send them off, hopefully without a fight. Maybe we can have a touching goodbye moment. Ahh, fuck it, I'm not good with those anyway. But if they refuse to leave, I guess I'll have my fight."

* * *

Konoha's battle continued to rage on, still oblivious to the machinations set in work to undo them. Chouji, true to form, held the center, a veritable rock of ages. He cut down enemies left and right, letting none get past him, while Tenten rained a barrage of kunai and shuriken on the enemy. 

Two hundred meters away, on the other end of the battlefield, Temari, Kankuro and Gaara began to tire, but still held the ground with dogged determination. They skirmished, keeping the enemy from escaping, but dealing very little actual damage to the enemy. They denied the enemy the opportunity to engage them in melee, and nipped away at them when possible, containing them within the pre-arranged killing zone.

Naruto's shadow clones contained the right flank, skirmishing along the river, while Sakura provided the powerful punch that was needed. She shattered the earth beneath the enemy with one of her mighty blows, swallowing a few hapless enemy up in the chasms that she created with her blows. 

Elsewhere, on the left flank, Neji had to admit, Lee was the most ferocious melee fighter he'd ever seen. He hadn't seen Lee in action for a while now, and Lee's improvement was clearly visible. They were both torn up a bit, their clothing slashed up, but they were otherwise fairly well off as they danced through the melee. Neji ducked under an Oto-nin's blow, and sent a jab straight for his heart. He collapsed quickly. Soon, his comrade fired off one her more powerful sound based techniques, forcing Neji to dodge into the air. As gravity began calling him back to earth, Neji saw something in the distance behind him that intrigued him.

He turned to focus on it. When he saw forty Oto-nin closing in to outflank them, his heart skipped a beat. "This is bad…" he thought out loud.

"What is it, Neji-san?" Lee inquired.

"We're about to be flanked. Forty enemy soldiers are closing in on us from behind." He broke out of the melee, and yelled to Kakashi, "Kakashi-taisho, we have a problem!"

"What is it, Neji-kun?" Kakashi asked, startled by Neji's tone. Neji was not the type prone to being alarmist.

"We are about to be surrounded by Oto-nin. I can confirm forty enemy soldiers approaching us from behind our lines. If we want to complete this operation, we are going to have to strike now."

Kakashi flipped the talk switch on his wireless radio on. "Shikamaru, come in. I need your feedback ASAP."

"What is it, Kakashi-senpai?" Shikamaru replied, clearly troubled.

"We're about to be surrounded. Forty more enemy nin are approaching from the west. We only have a few minute window to go after the Uchiha."

"That is _very_troublesome. Give me one moment."

Shikamaru crouched down, and assumed his familiar meditative position, touching his fingertips together. He drew in all the factors of the battle. Everything all came together at once, and then the conclusion hit him like a two-ton heavy thing. "This is very bad news," he replied over the radio, "We cannot hope to hold line outflanked like this if one third of our force departs to takedown the Uchiha. We can only afford to send two after him. Send Naruto and Sakura pronto. If they can't bring him back, no one can. Sai will need help holding the right flank. Kakashi, move to the right flank, and let fury have the hour."

"I concur," Kakashi replied.

Before he could give the order, Naruto came onto the radio. "We'll get right on it, Kakashi-sensei!" he cried, "We'll break through the opening, and retrieve Sasuke. Just make sure you're all still in one piece when we get back."

"You got it, Naruto. " Kakashi looped around to the right flank of the battle line. As soon as he arrived, Naruto and Sakura bolted off. He waved them off, and turned all his attentions to holding the enemy at bay. This would either be their moment of ruin, or their finest hour.

Naruto and Sakura barely slipped past the advancing enemy as they charged straight for Sasuke. Their hearts were racing; the moment that they had waited for so long had finally arrived. "Sakura-chan," Naruto cried, noticing her troubled face, "everything will be okay. I won't let you down. We _will_ bring Sasuke back."

She smiled meekly back at them as they darted through the trees. This moment had finally come. Six years ago, she was a foolish little girl who couldn't save either of her precious people from heartache and loss. Now she was determined she would right every wrong, and heal the wounds 

in all of their hearts. She owed as much to Naruto for his unwavering devotion to her. "Naruto, I just want you to know that I will never leave you, no matter what."

He nodded, blushing slightly. For the first time, he felt secure that he wouldn't lose Sakura to Sasuke after they triumphed. That fear had always lingered in the back of his mind, but now he was sure he could put that fear to rest. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, but alas, their target was now in sight. He sat on a fallen tree, waiting for them to come. The love talk would have to wait.

Naruto and Sakura dropped out of the trees, and approached Sasuke cautiously. When they got to about ten meters away from Sasuke, Sasuke stood, and made eye contact; red sharingan eyes that were the maw of hell itself burning a hole in their souls. His stare burned and froze them all at once. They could feel the aura of hatred and malice emanating from his body, and it gave them both the screaming mimis.

Then he spoke. "Naruto. Sakura. It's been a long time. I always knew I would get to see you one last time."

"What do you mean 'one last time', bastard, we're here to bring you home," Naruto cried.

"I have no home, deadlast. I still have unfinished business to attend to. Itachi still lives, and I am not strong enough to defeat him on my own. There is only one way to defeat him. We've been through this all before."

"That is not your only choice, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried, "Come back with us! We'll defeat Itachi together, I promise!"

"Bonds make us weak. I severed our bond to gain the strength to kill Itachi. I'm not about to go back to playing ninja with you deadlasts just to appease your naïve crush, Sakura. That will only weaken me, and destroy all that I've achieved for so far. I cannot go back now. It is too late for me."

"I wonder if you were ever my friend, then," Naruto spat, "If our bond was just a lie, a bond you formed just to gain power by breaking it. How far does your deception go, Sasuke?"

"I am _not_ Itachi!" Sasuke yelled. Naruto had clearly struck a nerve. Seeing Sasuke's reaction, Sakura laughed inwardly. Her suspicion had been correct.

"So then there is nothing we can say to get you to come back with us?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes. Nothing you say will make me turn back from my path."

"Then we shall have a fight," Sakura replied, her anger brewing to the surface.

"We shall," Sasuke confirmed, as he drew his chokuto, moving into a combat stance.

Naruto and Sakura had both already averted their eyes from his gaze to avoid any Genjutsu. They both readied themselves for the battle. They both knew they had a trump card up their sleeve. Something Sasuke could neither anticipate nor defend against. Setting it up would be difficult, but once Sakura was confident that once they had him locked down, it would be all over. He'd already unexpectedly betrayed his greatest weakness, a vulnerability that Sakura knew she could exploit if given the opportunity. She'd spend months preparing this technique. Those months would not go to waste.


	11. Chapter 11: The Fallen Angel

Chapter 11: The Fallen Angel

**AN: **I must warn you that this chapter does make a very brief foray into the realm of sexual assault. It is not graphic, but I'm putting a warning up on this chapter just in case. Other than that, the normal level of violence and language one would expect.

* * *

There are few things so painful in this world as a fight with a best friend. Still, the pain cannot compare to the agony of witnessing a friend fall to the plains of Pandæmonium, never to rise again. As Naruto and Sakura squared off against Sasuke, they understood how painfully high the stakes were. There would _never_ be another chance to save him. This much was all too true. But they had come too far to fail. It was simply not an option. Even if it meant descending into the maw of Hell itself, they would stop his madness.

Naruto made the first move. With lightning speed, he ran through the seals for the Shadow clone technique. As half a dozen shadow clones materialized, Sasuke stood impassively, reading Naruto's every move. The shadow clones soon dove into to attack Sasuke at point blank range. Sasuke readied his chokuto to dispatch the clones, but before he got the chance, the attack ended as quickly as it began. "_A feint, eh,_" Sasuke thought.

As soon as the feint began, Sasuke's attention was diverted to Sakura. In the split second since he'd last seen her, she'd already dashed out on to the river. Her hands worked through a blaze of seals, at least as fast as Kakashi had been able to the last time Sasuke had seen Kakashi perform the Water Dragon Missile technique. "_It seems I've underestimated her_," he said to himself as she completed the seals. She was fast, and he'd get himself into a lot of trouble if he underestimated her abilities.

Naruto's clones moved into attack once again and Sasuke found himself parrying their nimble attacks as Sakura completed the technique. Six mammoth dragon-shaped columns of water darted out of the river, streaming straight towards Sasuke. This would be nothing less than like being hit with a tsunami, and thanks to Naruto's meddling, there would be no way Sasuke could get out of the path of the massive wall of water aimed towards him. It wouldn't likely be life threatening to a shinobi of Sasuke's level, but this would still hurt like hell. "_No choice but to try to maneuver through the trees as the tempest sweeps me away!_" Sasuke reminded himself as the water missiles lanced at him.

It felt like he was being hit with giant concrete pillars. Naruto's six shadow clones puffed out of existence upon impact, but Sasuke was swept through the forest, crashing through a couple of the thankfully smaller trees as the current coursed inland. Sasuke held his breath for what seemed like an eternity before the water finally receded, leaving him kneeling in a coughing fit on muddy, torn up earth. Around him, the entire forest for several hundred meters had been flattened, the quite large trees snapped in half or pulled up by the roots, strewn out like match sticks, making a two hundred meter long and fifty hundred meter wide gash in the forest.

He hadn't felt anything really after the initial impact. But now the pain of all the subsequent impacts was getting to him. He winced with pain each time he coughed. At the very least, a few ribs had been cracked. He'd have to get serious if he planned to win. He had clearly underestimated Sakura, and couldn't afford to make the same mistake twice. "Damn. The last time we met, she was a sobbing mess, nothing more than a burden on the team," he cursed to himself."I knew she had improved in the past six years, but I was not expecting this." Sasuke pulled himself to his feet, and surveyed his surroundings.

"You look like a drowned weasel, Sasuke-teme," Naruto jabbed as he raced across the moonscape that Sakura had created.

Sasuke quickly answered with the Grand Fireball technique. Naruto deftly dodged the massive fireball, though avoiding the massive width of the fireball in such short notice forced him dangerously off balance. Sasuke redrew his chokuto, and moved in close to press his advantage. Naruto managed to barely dodge the first blow of his sword. The graceful arc of the blade cut slash through the chest area of Naruto's jacket, barely missing the flesh beneath. Naruto quickly moved in, and grappled Sasuke's arms, immobilizing both his sword hand and his free hand.

"Good, but not good enough, deadlast," Sasuke spat. Arcs of lightning exploded out of his body as he chanted "Chidori Nagashi!" Naruto's face contorted into spasms of pain before he exploded into a puff of gray smoke. Before he could react, Sasuke felt the blow of kick hit him square in the back. He recoiled, and spun around, slashing at the assailant. It too disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

Naruto had improved greatly since their last encounter, but he was still far too predictable. Sasuke caught out of the corner of his eye the image of a third Naruto, presumably the original, charging towards him, Rasengan in hand. Sasuke activated a seal on his arm band while making a throwing motion, sending a barrage of shuriken at the charging Naruto. Naruto evaded the barrage, but he slowed down just enough to give Sasuke the time he needed. As the shuriken splashed into the mud or fallen logs, Sasuke charged a Chidori in his hand and charged straight towards Naruto.

Once again, Chidori met Rasengan. Sasuke and Naruto were both blasted a considerable distance by the resulting explosion of swirling chakra. Sasuke was thrown into the air; he landed on his back on the slick mud before reverse somersaulting to his feet, carefully scanning the area for threats. The sound of shuriken whistling through the air behind him caught his attention. He spun around, and in one swift, fluid motion, he deflected all the shuriken with his chokuto. But the thrower was nowhere in sight. He quickly glanced up, catching the sight of Sakura descending down on him from on high, her fist pulsating with chakra.

Sasuke dashed out of her path, realizing that one of her blows would likely be the end of this fight. Her fist impacted the mud where he stood a microsecond before. The mire rippled violently; it almost seemed like the whole Earth itself was being shaken at its foundations. Was this really the same Haruno Sakura that he knew? The change was like night and day. No matter, Sasuke wouldn't give them any ground because they had improved over the years. He sheathed the chokuto and ran through the seals for the Grand Fireball technique. As the blazing inferno raced towards her, Sakura countered, raising a wall of water out of the saturated mire, blocking the fireball. A cloud of steam wafted over the battlefield, concealing Sasuke from view.

"Oh shit…Naruto, watch out, I've lost track of Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled as she escaped from the plume of steam. She soon heard the clash of metal against metal, and ran straight towards the sound.

Sasuke focused all of his effort in attacking Naruto with his chokuto. To his dismay, the dagger Naruto was using could successfully block the attacks by his blade. It was aggravating, but he'd work through this obstacle soon enough. The crackle of his lightning charged blade met the whistling scream of Naruto's blade, and Sasuke quickly deduced that Naruto's weapon also allowed him to channel his elemental nature. No matter, Naruto was too clumsy with bladed weapons to have a hope in this melee. Sasuke continued unrelenting, slowly drawing out holes in Naruto's defense, Only a few more strikes, and he'd strike through, and claim the upper hand in this battle.

That was the plan anyway, but Sakura had other ideas. Sasuke heard her coming too late. He attempted to break free from the melee, but his dodge came just a fraction of a second too late. Her fist connected with his cheek, and he was sent skipping across the watery mud like a human shaped skipping stone. As he skidded to a stop, and righted himself, Sasuke reflected, "_This isn't going to go well for me if those two keep playing tag team_ _with me. I have to end this quickly._"

"Good, I guess you dead lasts have no intention of holding back," he smirked. The cursed seal began spreading its macabre pattern over Sasuke's body. He always hated drawing out the cursed seal, until of course he actually summoned its profane powers. Its power was an intoxicating drug to him, and like the faithful junky he was, he kept coming back for more sooner or later. But such is the life of a power slave.

Naruto and Sakura stood side by side, waiting for Sasuke to make the first move, but always careful to avoid his gaze. Unlike most shinobi who Sasuke faced, they had actually prepared to deal with his Sharingan, working for months on strategies to counter his eye's hypnotic power.

If Sasuke had been scary and abrasive before he activated the cursed seal, now he was positively terrifying. He acted considerably differently, now that he'd summoned its powers. Before, he took no pleasure in this battle, but now his bloodlust was painfully evident in the impish grin he wore. Still, Sakura decided to try diplomacy one last time.

"Sasuke-kun!" she cried, "It's still not too late. Come back with us. We don't want to hurt you, but we will if we must. You can still be saved, and we can still make everything right. This mad nightmare can end. You won't have to go the road of self-destruction. If you come back with us, we can help you defeat Itachi and Akatsuki once and for all. But if you let yourself be consumed by hate, and let Orochimaru have what he wants, than all that you have fought for is lost."

Sadly, her words fell on deaf ears. "There _is no going back_, Sakura," Sasuke barked, "It is already too late. If you two really do care about me, than you will turn around and go home. I don't want to kill you, but if you try to stop me again, I _will kill you_."

"Sakura-chan," Naruto crooned, "It seems that Sasuke-teme is a bit too obstinate for words to work. I guess we'll just have to bring him back the _hard_ way."

Sakura nodded. That was the signal to prepare for their trump card. Naruto summoned a dozen shadow clones, while Sakura circled around to prepare to outflank Sasuke. Naruto and his clones plunged headlong into the melee against Sasuke.

Sasuke decided to forgo the blade this time, preferring to work over Naruto and his clones with his bare hands. Naruto was just never as good at Taijutsu as Sasuke, and both of them knew it. Muttering something about Naruto being a dumbass, Sasuke began tearing through the small army of clones with sadistic glee, searching out the original so that he could give Naruto the beating of his lifetime. Within a few seconds, there was only one Naruto left. Sasuke launched at Naruto, the whirring scream of the Chidori sounding off Naruto's impending doom. The poor dead last tried to block. "Too late, dead last," Sasuke gloated as he rammed the lighting edge straight through Naruto's heart.

To Sasuke's surprise, Naruto exploded into a puff of smoke. Before Sasuke could even say "Kage Bunshin!" a maze of tangling wires wrapped around this body, constricting his movement. This was a problem. "_I could have sworn I managed to keep track of the original one in that melee. I kept my eye on him the entire time!_" Sasuke silently cursed. Just as he was about to break free from the wires, strong arms worked their way around him, forcing him into a full-nelson.

"I see you did miss me, Sasuke-teme," Naruto chuckled, laughing at his own pun.

Naruto's grip was like a bear's. Even with the cursed seal, there would be no way that Sasuke could break free using strength alone. But other options caused him to smirk maliciously. "Chidori Nagashi," Sasuke shouted, shocking the poor blonde shinobi with all the power he could summon. But still, Naruto held on, gritting his teeth and taunting, "Is that the best you can do?"

Two large serpents streamed out of Sasuke's sleeves, coiling around Naruto, constricting him with beastly strength. "Let. Go. Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, as the serpents latched onto Naruto's limbs. He didn't, but Sasuke had other pressing matters. Sakura was charging straight at him right now, reading to deliver a crippling blow to him. But he had ways of dealing with that.

Instantly, Sakura realized she had screwed up. Sasuke had made eye contact, and slowly the whole world began to dissolve into snakes, reforming into the images of her worst nightmares. Sasuke meticulously planned out this Genjutsu with deliberate malice. The mud of the battlefield seemed to craw up around Sakura's body like invading serpents. Sasuke was determined to break her, even if it meant summoning up every god-awful, perverted hentai cliché in existence.

But he never got that far. As the serpents snaked around her tense form, threatening her with molestation, Sasuke noticed that Sakura wasn't reacting to this Genjutsu quite the way she should. "_Oh fuck!_" he realized all too late, "_This one is a shadow clone!_" For the first time in a long while, he panicked, searching for the real one. He looked to the left, and saw nothing but a muddy moonscape. So she had to be to the right. By the time he saw her, she was already right on top of him. This was going to be close. As he locked his eyes on hers for a second time, her gloved, mud-caked hands met his temples. Then, as they say, some really freaky shit happened. His vision exploded into a starburst of colors before slowly fading to black, as the sound of Naruto's grunts of pain slowly were swallowed by silence.

* * *

Sasuke found himself floating, surrounded by pitch black and silence. Complete sensory deprivation. Denied any reference point, each second seemed to pass at a snail's pace. And the disorientation made him want to vomit. On top of all of this, he was feeling withdrawal symptoms from the cursed seal. Evidently it had receded after whatever had happened. He slowly collected himself, trying to piece together what happened.

"_Okay, pull yourself together_, _Sasuke. What the fuck happened?! Just go through everything in order, and you'll be able to figure it out. First Naruto pinned you down, and then Sakura made a feint with a shadow clone. Then I spotted the real one, just as she made contact with me._"

He pondered for a moment considering all of the events. It still made no sense. It was like he was trapped in a Genjutsu. "_But that's impossible. The Sharingan can see through Genjutsu! There has to be something I missed._"

So he poured through his memories once more, trying to sort out if he missed some crucial detail. He double checked just to make sure. It still didn't add up. The last time he'd experienced and illusion this deep, Itachi had used the Mangekyo Sharingan on him. But this couldn't be that. Still, it was frightening in its own right. He was utterly at the mercy of whoever had done this. Could it have been Sakura?

As if to answer him, Sakura's soothing voice entered his private abyss. "Hello Sasuke-kun. Are you comfortable enough? Because we have a long itinerary to go through."

"What sort of technique is this, Sakura? There is no way you could cast something of this magnitude."

"My, my, you're an obstinate one, Sasuke-kun. I don't care whether you believe that it is me or not. You can't fight reality. Oh, how I'd love to tell you about this technique, but that would be telling, Sasuke-kun, and that would ruin all of the fun. But, hey, if you cooperate, maybe I'll let you in on the secret."

Great. Now she was toying with him. It was infuriating to be so helpless, especially to such a dead last like Sakura. But all of this anger would just wear him out and leave him no closer to figuring out what sort of predicament he was in, and more importantly how to escape it.

"What did you mean by 'itinerary', Sakura? What do you have planned for me?"

Her voice pierced the abyss once more, this time as a chuckle, "I'm glad you asked, Sasuke-kun. Let's just say that I'm going to make sure that you think long and hard about what you've done."

Just what he needed, a shinobi guilt-trip. He remained defiant, but nothing prepared him for the ride that came next.

* * *

**Endnotes:** The mindfuck begins! As always, reviews and comments are greatly appreciated.


	12. Chapter 12: Back in the Village

Chapter 12: Back in the Village

**AN: **Revised as of 2/23/10

* * *

"Just what do you mean by this, Sakura?" Sasuke called out into the endless midnight, "just was is at stake here?" He was in no position to demand answers, but he didn't care. He'd find out just what trickery Sakura had engaged, if it was even her who was responsible for this.

"Your redemption, Sasuke," she answered, her voice an icy wind. "What this means exactly will be revealed in good time. You will just have to wait and cooperate."

"I have no intention of cooperating with you," Sasuke spat.

"That's what I thought you'd say, Sasuke-kun. I was hoping to avoid having to do this the hard way, but you've forced my hand. Say goodnight, Sasuke-kun."

Before he could even react, a powerful surge forced its way though Sasuke's mind, paralyzing all of his senses. He faded from consciousness quickly, screaming into the infinite penumbra that engulfed him.

* * *

Sasuke awoke in a start, screaming out a terrible cry of agony. He sat up on the hard futon, panting with exhaustion, as cold sweat on his body glistened in the candlelight. Rivulets of sweat ran down his face, framing the visage of absolute fear that sat upon his face. He sat their panting in confusion, before details of the world around him began filtering through the perplexity.

He was a prisoner; that much was for sure. The small, musty room had only three walls; the fourth was a curtain of iron bars, the only barrier between his room, and the unknown that lurked in the darkness beyond his dimly lit cell. The pungent smell of mold, mildew, and rodent hung in the air. The only light in the cell was provided by the diffuse glow of candle lanterns.

His heart rate started to slow, and his breathing normalized. His last memories were a mess, and it would take some time to sort through it all. He recalled fighting Naruto and Sakura. He remembered their faces, and the potent emotions of the battle, but the actual details were a gray blur. Still, that provided him somewhere to start from. He dimly recalled something like a paralyzing Genjutsu being cast, the details were lost to him.

His body ached all over, confirming his recollections about the battle. Something about getting hit with something that felt like giant stone pillars, as far as he could tell. "So I've been captured," he said to himself, not caring if anyone was listening.

This prison was completely unfamiliar to him. Superficially, it was similar to the many labyrinths that Orochimaru had constructed, but it differed in many important respects. Orochimaru's gulags were cold, sterile environments, rank with the stench of disinfectants. This prison was almost suffocatingly warm, even though it was as black as pitch throughout most of its passages. The general smell of filth permeated the bricks and mortar that constructed this abyss.

Sasuke sat on the unforgiving mattress in silent meditation, hoping to work out what would come next for him. As if divine (or demonic) providence had answered him, a guard came to his cell, and ordered him to rise.

Only now did Sasuke noticed he was in handcuffs, chains and leg-irons. As the guard walked into the pale, sickly light, his ANBU mask came into view. "_I've definitely been captured by Konoha then_," he thought as glared maliciously at the ANBU nin. Sasuke slowly got to his feet, feeling all the aches in his joints protest his sudden choice to begin moving again.

"Come, Number 6, your judgment awaits," the ANBU commanded, his formal tone barely masking an undertone of raw contempt.

Sasuke obeyed silently. A seal had been placed on his body, making the task of molding chakra an impossibility. He simply had no choice but to obey. He was a prisoner, just a number and a scratched hitai-ate.

The ANBU opened the gate through the iron bars, and silently beckoned Sasuke to walk in front of him. The ANBU then prodded in the back with a dull kunai, ushering him to walk forward down the long black corridor. The hair on the back of Sasuke's neck began to rise involuntarily, and Sasuke noticed he was becoming quite on edge. He was, after all, walking into the complete unknown, with no clue what awaited him at the end of the corridor. The walk though the umbra was a short eternity, punctuated with indescribable sounds of unknown horrors that lanced out through the darkness. Nameless fears rose up within Sasuke, as if the corridor itself was cursed, a little plot of Hell on Earth.

Finally, Sasuke came to a large, open room at the end of the hall. It was just as pitch black as the corridor, but it had a completely different aura to it. It smelled clean in here, and it was pleasantly cool, after the long stay in that oven they called a prison. As Sasuke squinted into the darkness, he heard the sound of a metal door close behind him. He turned around to find that the ANBU had gone, and locked him in this room.

A spotlight then shined down on Sasuke, temporarily blinding him. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw silhouettes in the umbra. It looked as though they sat in a row on a raised platform at least three meters above the floor that Sasuke stood upon. He counted at least four nondescript figures on the platform, though he couldn't be sure if more lurked in the darkness.

Sasuke had lingering doubts of his earlier assessment. Sure, it had seemed reasonable to assume that it was Konoha that was holding him, but he'd never seen any evidence to confirm that. "Where am I?" Sasuke demanded, his voice full of malice.

"In the Village," replied the figure on the center-left, his voice a non-descript monotone.

That didn't reveal much, but it at least confirmed some of Sasuke's suspicions. He took this as an opportunity to dig deeper into the mystery. "What do you want from me?" he asked, softening his tone only slightly.

"We want information," the figure replied again.

"Whose side are you one?" Sasuke countered, his eyes narrowing in rage.

"That would be telling," the figure jabbed back, "We want information. Information!"

"Then you won't get it," Sasuke riposted in defiance.

"By hook or crook, we will."

This was clearly going nowhere. Sasuke sighed in frustration, and tried to divine anything from the reactions of the figures. They sat impassive, betraying nothing. "Who are you?" Sasuke asked firmly.

"The new Number Two," the figure replied, his tone just as firm as Sasuke's.

"Then who is Number One?"

"_You are _Number Six," Number Two replied, cutting off Sasuke's line of questioning.

Great, more mind games. "I am not a number, I am a free man!" Sasuke spat.

Number Two laughed uproariously at him, betraying a level of callous cruelty Sasuke hadn't sensed before. Still, something told Sasuke that he wasn't laughing at the irony of a man in chains proclaiming that he is a free man _per se_. This deception ran deeper than that.

After the exchange with Number Two, Sasuke was led back to his cell by a man he presumed to be a Konoha shinobi. As he left, he heard the faceless man who declared himself Number 2 hiss, "Be seeing you." The man who led him away was dressed in the exact same prison fatigues as Sasuke was, leaving Sasuke puzzling about what foul little closet in Konoha had he been tucked away in.

* * *

A day passed, with no contact with anyone. No other prisoners, no guards, no one. Regularly, some stale food was passed to him, but he never got a look at who or what was bringing him the food.

As he chewed the stringy, grainy rice slowly for the meal he presumed was dinner, a thought occurred to Sasuke. What if all of this, this entire prison, and the tribunal, were part of the interrogation process? It seemed like a sound theory to him. Place prisoners in an environment, completely isolated, and slowly begin breaking them down psychologically. "_That's why the guard was dressed as a prisoner! So that we don't know friend from foe!_" he mused as he spat out a particularly hard kernel of rice. This food was horrible, no two ways about it.

Over the coming hours, Sasuke did hear voices from other people, who he presumed to be prisoners, talking quietly in the dark shadows. Some were fairly close, maybe only a few meters away, and others were faint in the distance. None of them seemed to talk to him, but he heard whispers about himself echo through the darkness.

"Did you hear? The traitor Uchiha has been returned. He sits in this very prison!" whispered a female voice.

"I heard that too," replied a male voice, "that Hellion was brought in two days ago or so, completely unconscious." His voice dropped down very low now, the faintest of whispers now, "I've also heard whispers that the monster didn't just survive the massacre of his clan, but that _he participated in it_."

Sasuke instantly bristled at the accusation. How dare these dead lasts accuse him of being even close to on the same level as Itachi!

"Be quiet! He might hear you!" the female replied.

"Ah, what can he do? He's a prisoner, just like us."

"He's killed men by the hundreds. He wouldn't bat an eyelash to kill us if he got the chance. I'd rather not cross him!"

Slowly, the chatter died down, and Sasuke laid down on the hard futon to try to get some sleep. After what couldn't have been more than just a few hours, Sasuke awoke again with a start. After centering himself, he quickly found that he was not alone in his cell. In the darkness, he could see the figure of a person hovering over his bed. He lashed out at the figure, but it had quickly dodged back. "Temper, temper, Number 6. We wouldn't want you to get yourself hurt" the figure laughed as it stepped into the light.

The person was clearly a woman, quite young, perhaps not much older than Sasuke. He'd never seen her before in his life, but she had a soft, unassuming beauty to her, like the girl next door. Flicking her brown locks out of her hair, she blew a raspberry at Sasuke.

Sasuke gritted his teeth at her as he sat up in his bed. "What do you want with me?" he spat.

"Are you so narcissistic to assume that there is anything you have that I want?" she jeered, to Sasuke's disapproval. She studied him for a moment, then brushed his hair to the side and cupped his cheek. "My, you really are handsome..."

Sasuke tried to slap her hand away, but the woman swiftly countered. She quickly parried his attempt, then quickly counterattacked, pushing him over onto his back and pinning his arms beneath him. As she straddled his body, she chuckled, "Oh Six, I could lay you out and have my way with you, and there'd be nothing you could do about it. Your life is in my hands." As if to puntuate that point, she wrapped one of her hands gently around his neck. "All I have to do is squeeze, and it's all over for you."

Sasuke struggled against her, but she was too strong, too skilled. There was nothing he could do. The feeling of powerlessness, that he had lamented for so long welled up again. He bristled and scowled at her, earning only her condescending smile. "You bitch," he cursed, "you bound my hands behind my back as you pinned me, didn't you? Just who the hell are you?"

"Oh, so you noticed," she chuckled, "I am Number 2. You may just call me Two if you wish, though, since you're cute."

Sasuke's rage grew. "That's a lie! Number 2 is a man. I saw him yesterday."

"No, I'm afraid you're mistaken, Six, I'm Number 2."

"The man from yesterday said he was Number 2. Just which of you is lying?"

"Oh, he _was_ Number 2. But I _am_ Number 2."

Sasuke tried looking away in disgust. This woman was beneath his contempt. "Then what are you doing here?"

"Oh me, I'm in charge of all that you see. That means I'm in charge of _you_."

"Then who is Number 1?" he scowled.

Two smirked for a moment, then leaned forward, so that her face was hovering inches above his. Though he had turned his head to the side to look away, he could still smell the fragrance of her hair, and feel each soft breath on his cheek. Her presence was powerful, and he was powerless. Overtaken by immense curiosity, he cautiously turned to face her. Her hand slid from his neck to grasp the mane of his hair, and she kissed him roughly. He tried to break away from her, but he was utterly powerless. There was only one other time in his life that he had felt this powerless, and the very thought crushed him. As she finally broke the kiss, she whispered, "That would be telling..."

"You're a psychopathic bitch..." he spat.

"Oh, such harsh words. The irony must escape you. Very well, I'll let you in on a little secret: I'm acting no different than you would. Or from how Itachi would..."

Sasuke flew into a rage at her accusations. He struggled against his bonds to no avail, while she laughed. "Oh Six, you're just a thing to me right now. And a thing can have no self. Why shouldn't I do with you as I will, use you for my own satisfaction. After all, haven't you used everyone you've met to fulfill your own ambitions?"

"I'll ask you one more time: what the hell do you want with me!"

"Fine, since you insist. She hovered over his face once more, whispering in his ear. "I want to know why you did it, Six. I want to know why you became everything you hate..."

"You keep calling me Six! Stop it!" he interrupted.

"Why shouldn't I? It is your name, after all. And I'd say it fits your state. You've become little more than a mindless automaton for the last six years."

"I am Uchiha Sasuke! I am not a number! My clan was noble and strong, and our blood runs pure, which is more than I can say for trash like you."

Two laughed again. "Oh Six, when will you stop these delusions. You've only proven how little of a selfhood you've ever had. You attach yourself to the legacy of your clan, as if their nobility will rub off on you and make up for your terrible decisions and your dishonor. You have no identity for yourself, and you will be treated as such." She kissed him again, this time gently. It was warm, even beautiful, and in that moment, he caught a glimpse of something he'd never experienced before.

Not knowing how to react, he fell back to the default: scowling.

"I have given you a glimpse--and only a glimpse--of something you might have been able to have, once upon a time. This feeling comes under many names: companionship, love, friendship, call it what you will. It is the thing you have cut yourself off from. It is what separates men from monsters. Once upon a time, it was what separated you from Itachi. You have forsaken it, along with all that goes along with it, as you allowed yourself to be consumed be vengeance."

The seed of doubt had been planted in his convictions. The possibility, of having been wrong, was entertained, if only for the briefest moment, for the first time.

"The fact that you cannot feel this except when I force you to," she continued, "Is proof that you are nothing more than a thing. And you will be treated as such." She leaned forward to kiss him again, but just as Sasuke began to anticipate it, to long for that feeling again, she pulled back. "I'll leave you to your thoughts," she whispered. Soon she was gone, and Sasuke found that his shackles had left with her. Greatly troubled, he rolled over to try to sleep.

* * *

He thought of simpler days, and what he might have lost, before drifting off. As he awoke, he heard the screeching ring of his cell gate being opened. "Come Number Six," commanded a different stern female voice.

Sasuke silently obeyed, too tired to protest being reduced to a number. Once again, he was lead through the long dark towards the antechamber, most likely to await the same panel that faced him the day before.

As he reached the entrance to the chamber, the guard shoved him forward into the spotlight and slammed the door behind him. Sasuke struggled to regain his balance, and came to a halt in the spotlight, squinting in the bright light.

As his eyes came to focus, he noticed that the room was different this time. More spot lights shown down from the ceiling, illuminating what looked like a large podium in front of him, and six black robed figures sitting in seats to his right. "_A trial?_" he wondered.

Another spot light flickered on to his left, revealing the figure of a tall, graceful kunoichi who was once very familiar to him. "Sakura?" he mouthed silently as she stood there, arms crossed, staring back at him. Flashes of memories came back to Sasuke; memories of fighting this strong, beautiful kunoichi. Her power and elegance could not be denied, just as dangerous to him as the boy that Sasuke had once called friend. It was so hard for him to believe that this was once the same annoying and useless girl he left unconscious on the stone bench leading out of Konoha.

The six robed figures to Sasuke's right began chanting "Here comes the judge," in rhythmic fashion, matching the intonations of priestly hymns. Soon, another figure approached the podium, his wild shock of blond hair gleaming in the spot light.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked in shock. He didn't know why, but the thought of being judged by the man who was once his best friend and blood brother hurt him in a way that he'd never experienced before. The only one who had ever exceeded this level of agony had been the man he had once called his older brother, Uchiha Itachi.

"Silence in court!" Naruto commanded as he knocked a gavel on the podium. Instantly, the chanting stopped.

There was so much he had to know about this. But Sasuke finally decided that he'd settle for just one answer. "Who is Number One?" he asked, almost pleading for the answer.

Naruto completely ignored him. He turned to Sakura, and declared, "The prosecution will now read the charges."

"Your honor," Sakura replied, "the defendant is charged with believing that the ends always justify the means, and of becoming everything that he _claims_ to hate." The words were like a dagger thrust into his heart, especially coming from Sakura, the fool who never said anything cross to him.

"Please," Sasuke pleaded, "please let me explain!"

Naruto ignored him. He turned instead to the six robed figures: "How does the jury find the defendant?"

"Guilty!" Their reply echoed through the antechamber. The words wrapped around Sasuke's neck like a noose. This simply couldn't be true, he decided. He had not become Itachi, that simply was impossible.

"This is no trial! Where is my defense?!" Sasuke demanded, struggling against his shackles.

"Good point," Naruto replied, "Bring in the character witness!"

A woman walked into the spot light. Sasuke instantly recognized the red-haired kunoichi as Karin, his slavish admirer and the potent tracker nin that he had convinced to join Team Hebi. He breathed a small sigh of relief. At least she wouldn't betray him.

"What do you have to say on the defendant's behalf?" Naruto questioned.

As soon as she opened her mouth, Sasuke's hopes began to sink. "I don't have anything kind to say about Sasuke," she spat, "He lies. He deceives his comrades. He kills on a whim. He will do anything for the power to kill Itachi. He is a miserable human being, utterly undeserving of pity or mercy."

Her words shocked him. First Sakura, and now Karin. They both turned on him, and would just as soon see him at the gallows as look at him. He wanted to scream "It's a lie!" but he couldn't find the words.

"How does the jury find the defendant?" Naruto asked once more.

"Guilty!" chanted the six robed men, "Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!"

Sasuke stood in shock as the chanting abated, and Karin once again retreated into the darkness. Finally, he rose to his own defense. "But, I did what I had to do!" he pleaded, "You must believe me, I had no choice! Itachi had to die, but I was too weak. I needed the strength to make Itachi pay for his crimes! You have to believe me…"

"Stop the lies, Number 6," Naruto ordered, "Have you anything to say before I pass sentence on you?"

"Naruto, please, help me!" he choked, "I have to end this madness. I have to kill Itachi. I must know who is Number One!"

Naruto began slowly chanting, "Guilty!" over and over to Sasuke. He quickened his tempo, and increased the volume as he progressed, as the jury and Sakura joined him in chanting. The chorus of "Guilty" rained down on Sasuke. He couldn't take it any longer. The sorrow in his heart turned into rage and malice, and his eyes began to burn with the crimson of the Sharingan.

"No!" he shouted, as he strained against his shackles. He summoned up all of his hatred and anger, fueling the cursed seal on his neck. As the seal consumed him, he broke free from the shackles, and released the power of a Chidori Nagashi into the room. The arcs of lightning lanced out into the room, electrocuting everyone in the room. The fury of the technique slowly snuffed out all of their lives one by one, as Sasuke watched in horror, unable to stop himself.

For a flash, he saw their lifeless bodies strewn out over the room, and then the lights shorted out, leaving him in total darkness.

An unfamiliar voice called out across the darkness, "So, you've killed everyone, have you?"

Sasuke turned to see who it was, his eyes straining against the darkness. The voice was dripping with venom, whatever it was, but Sasuke couldn't see where it came from. The voice called out again, this time from right behind him. "So you haven't figured it out yet, have you?" it mocked.

Sasuke spun around again, finding nothing but blackness. The voice spoke one more time, this time seeming to come from all around Sasuke. "I know I have! I know we all have…"

"Tell me, who is Number One?!" Sasuke screamed into the night, still fuming with rage. He had to get to the bottom of all of this. But his malice started to leave him, and the cursed seal began to recede. The sudden realization hit him. "I-I've…I've just k-killed everyone…everyone I've e-ever known…e-every o-one w-who's ever c-cared about me…" he sobbed. He fell to his knees, sobbing with rage and despair.

The electrical wires that he had shorted out in his burst of rage began sparking violently, lighting up the room with a pale electric glow. As Sasuke looked up to see the dim light, he saw tall mirror standing before him, his sad reflection staring back at him.

Sasuke slowly brought himself to his feet, and stared into the mirror, hoping that the answers lay beyond the ether. He hung his head in sorrow. Then, the image in the mirror started to warp. It's head was held up high, and its features began to distort. As Sasuke looked up, and stared at the curious reflection, it morphed into an image of Itachi.

"I _am _Number One!" the Itachi image declared. Sasuke fell onto his ass in shock. He laid there, looking up into the image of Itachi in the mirror as it glared menacingly back at him.

"I am the driving force in your life!" the Itachi image continued, "I am hatred and malice. I drive you onwards and totally consume you!"

Sasuke looked back in shock, unable to do anything but shiver and watch his worst nightmare in the mirror before him. Slowly, Sasuke drew himself back to his feet. He looked at his hand…they were Itachi's hands. He felt his face, and instead felt Itachi's face. He looked back to Itachi in the mirror in complete horror.

"That's right, Sasuke, you have become me. You are no different than me, you're just a cheap imitation of the original. Like me, you will do anything for power. Like me, you are willing to murder your friends for power. You sell your soul every day, and in doing so, every day you worship at my alter. You stand on sanity's fragile edge, and worship the Lord of the Flies."

"No, that can't be true!" Sasuke screamed back.

"Oh, but it is true, Sasuke. Don't you remember the pleasure you felt when you ran Naruto through with the Chidori? Can't you see that it was the same perverse pleasure that I had when I tortured you with the massacre of our clan?"

Sasuke punched the mirror, and watched the image revert to his own horrified visage. He left a considerable crack in the mirror with his fist. He watched his image, hoping that the nightmare would be over soon.

It wasn't. His image began to speak to him, using the same menacing tone he had used when he was about to try to kill Naruto at the Valley of the End. "I _am _Number One. Just like Itachi, I care for no one."

"That's not true…" Sasuke countered before trailing off. He was at an impasse. He could either admit that he had lied to himself all of these years, and that he did love and care for Naruto and Sakura, or he could face the horror of the nightmare he created for himself. "I-I still c-care about my team, even though I don't like to admit it," he finally choked out.

"Then where were you for the past six years, huh?" the image retorted, "Where were you when they needed you the most? Your actions speak louder than your words. You love no one but yourself, just like Itachi. But hey, you were just looking out for Number One…"

Sasuke punched the mirror again, and watched it shatter into thousands of tiny shards on the ground. In the dim light, he saw the figure of a small boy standing behind the mirror.

"Oh no! Not you!" Sasuke gasped.

The figure of the small boy walked forward into the light. Nine-year old Sasuke, freshly ripped from the comfort of his family, stood before him. Young Sasuke glared up at Sasuke disapprovingly.

"I _am _Number One. The original…do you think this is a game, huh?" Young Sasuke spat, "Do you?"

"But, how?" Sasuke replied, "You're…you're me…"

"But you hate me," Young Sasuke retorted, "You must! Just look at what you've become!"

"You're wrong!" Sasuke snapped back, "I had to become bigger, tougher…I had to be ready for Itachi, to avenge our clan…"

"Did you like your vengeance more than home? More than your family?" Young Sasuke cried.

"No, No I didn't! I didn't have any other choice!" Sasuke sobbed, tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

"Vengeance, vengeance, vengeance…that's all I hear from you. You're like a broken record. You killed my friends!"

"_My _friends!" Sasuke snapped back without thinking. He instantly regretted his words.

"You've forgotten your friends!" Young Sasuke retorted, "you let yourself become a prisoner to vengeance. You willingly became Itachi's shadow. You've danced on Itachi's string for almost your entire life! What would Mother and Father think of you now?"

Sasuke had no reply. He stood there in horror, and watched his younger self tear him down to the foundations.

"You gave up all that you held dear for power," Young Sasuke continued, "you allowed Itachi to twist you until you became everything you once hated the most and had sworn to destroy. You _disgust _me! Be seeing you." Young Sasuke turned, and began walking away, bringing the light with him, leaving Sasuke alone in darkness.

Sasuke collapsed to his knees, sobbing. He buried his head in his arms, and screamed in frustration. "Help me," he cried, "help me! If anyone is listening, please help me! Just give me one chance to go back, and tell Naruto and Sakura that I'm sorry…just one chance to see them once more."

He felt comforting hands on his shoulders, and heard a soothing female voice say, "Sasuke-kun, just open your eyes…"

Sasuke opened his eyes, and was greeted by Naruto's and Sakura's warm smiles. His mouth hung open in shock. There they were, right before him, their hands on his shoulders. He then noticed that they were all kneeling in the mud amongst the fallen trees of the battlefield. He had his chance at redemption. Instantly, he decided he was going to seize it. Being Itachi's shadow no longer held any appeal; in fact it disgusted him.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around them, and pulled them into a group hug. He couldn't remember ever being this welcoming or emotional, but he didn't care about keeping up appearances right now.

"Good to have you back, Sasuke," Naruto cried.

"Indeed. We've missed you for so long, Sasuke-kun," Sakura replied.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto, Sakura. I'm sorry for everything…" Sasuke cried in genuine contrition.

"We forgive you," Sakura replied warmly as Sasuke relaxed his group bear hug, "We're just glad to have you back with us."

For the first time in six years, Sasuke was genuinely happy. A tremendous weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and the shackles that bound him to Itachi had been broken. He was a free man now. As he relaxed in the general mirth of situation, he asked, "So, it was all just a Genjutsu then?"

"Basically," Sakura explained, as Naruto helped lift them both out of the muddy mire. "I bet you're wondering why you couldn't see through it with your Sharingan. I know you were when I first put you under with it—uh, thanks Naruto—anyway, the Sharingan may be your greatest tool and the source of much of your power, but it can also be your greatest weakness. The Sharingan gives you greater control over the reality around you and an avenue into other people's minds, but the door swings both ways as well."

Sasuke cocked his head in interest.

"The Sharingan functions as a direct chakra and nerve pathway between your eyes and the frontal cortex of your brain. Because of this, the Sharingan allows you an uncanny ability to literally transform your will into reality. Space and time become flexible like puddy for you to shape as you will, and other people's minds become your play thing. Still, the Sharingan functions like any other eye on the basic level. If I can manipulate the chakra flow through your Sharingan directly, I can manipulate your reality."

"I see," Sasuke replied, "So that's why you touched my temples?"

"Precisely. In order to make my technique work, I have to have direct access to your Sharingan. Even then, only someone with perfect chakra control has any chance at doing anything constructive. It took me months of experimentation with Kakashi to refine this technique into a workable form. Even then, it only works on people who bear the Sharingan."

"Thank you guys so much for going this far for me," Sasuke replied, "I don't know how I can repay you." He averted his eyes in shame. He may have been given a second chance, but that still didn't make everything right.

"Don't sweat it, Sasuke," Naruto replied, "You are our friend, and this is what friends do for each other. We can talk about specifics of repayment when we get back to Konoha." Naruto flashed him a sly smirk.

"You bastard…" Sasuke sighed.

"I'm just kidding, Sasuke. We should be getting back to our group. Last we knew, they were headed for a lot of trouble."

"Guys, I'm so sorry," Sasuke admitted, "This whole thing was a set up. It was a trap to lure you out so that you could be captured. I suspect that Orochimaru, well, wants to capture the bijuu sealed within Naruto. As for why, I don't know, but it probably has something to do with foiling Akatsuki's plans as well as advancing one of Orochimaru's own schemes."

"Don't sweat it. We'll just bug out of here, and everything will be fine," Sakura replied.

* * *

**Endnotes:** I hope you enjoyed by little homage to _The Prisoner_. I honestly had a lot of fun revising this one. The headtripping mindfuck is over, but the fun is just beginning, I assure you.


	13. Chapter 13: A Divine Image

Chapter 13: A Divine Image

**AN: **Sorry about the longer than average wait. I just had to put down my beloved dog Hercules, so I haven't felt quite as motivated to write as normal. So here's chapter 13 for your viewing pleasure.

* * *

"Come on Sasuke, Sakura-chan," Naruto cried, giddy with the feeling of victory, "Let's get back to the others and go home!"

Sakura nodded in silent agreement, taking a spare moment to admire Naruto's smiling exhilaration. Truth be told, she had _never_ seen him this happy before. A great burden had just been lifted from his shoulders, and now he could finally walk free and unencumbered by the past. He had fulfilled his promise of a lifetime to Sakura, and now everything seemed to be within his grasp.

"Yeah Naruto, let's go home," she whispered.

Sasuke was feeling a bit awkward, most certainly. After six years of wandering alone in total darkness, he really didn't have much of a clue where or how to fit in. But he did have hope, which was something that had not had in a long time. He'd just have to take his rebirth one step at a time, and commit himself fully to escaping his past.

But unfortunately, his past was not too willing to let him escape. From the woods surrounding the muddy battle plain, Sasuke heard the rustling of leaves and the metallic clanging of weapons. Just as they were about to leave, Sasuke grabbed Naruto and Sakura by the shoulder and whispered, "We're not out of the woods yet. We've got company."

"Wait, I sense them too," confirmed Sakura.

Sensing that their cover was blown, the waiting unknown enemy broke from their cover, and charged towards the three. Sasuke's worst fear was immediately confirmed; the enemy had blocked their escape route. They'd have to fight their way out, and avoid being enveloped by the much larger enemy force.

"I count at least twenty," Sakura hissed as she clenched her fists, ready for the battle.

Naruto nodded and quickly summoned half a dozen shadow clones. "We have to break through them now!" he shouted, "Sasuke, clear us a path through them! I'll run interference while we break through!"

Sasuke had already been rather bruised and exhausted from the earlier fight, but he sprung into battle with renewed vigor. He promised himself that now he would only ever fight to protect the people he cared for; the renewing of his old bonds gave him renewed strength to carry on. There was a certain nostalgia as he blazed through the seals for the Grand Fireball technique; that feeling of fighting for something that truly mattered that had been long forgotten. It was invigorating.

The Grand Fireball forced the charging Oto-nin to break apart, giving the three an opening to escape through them. As fast as lightning, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke charged through the opening while Naruto's shadow clones engaged the scattered Oto.

Just as they were about to break free, they hit a wall of sound. An enemy Jonin had caught onto their plot, and had just barely been able to stop their escape. The sound technique he had used stopped them in their tracks instantly, greatly disorienting them. His comrades quickly dispatched Naruto's shadow clones, and moved in for the kill.

The reunited Team Seven shrugged off the disorientation as best as they could. Using a bit of self-hypnosis, Sasuke ignored the imbalance in his inner ear, and released a flurry of kunai and shuriken at the enemy shinobi charging from his right. Metal met metal in a staccato of pings and clangs as the six enemy ninja's own weapons met Sasuke's mid flight.

Half of them had fallen for Sasuke's trap. Taking aim to intercept the kunai had forced three of the enemy to accidently lock their eyes on Sasuke's Sharingan: the last mistake they'd ever make. While those three stood paralyzed in a terrifying Lovecraftian Genjutsu, Sasuke rushed into deal with the remaining three.

He was far too fast for them. Sasuke drew his chokuto, charging it with the lightning power of the Chidori. The first enemy tried to block with a kunai, but the lightning charged edge of the chokuto sliced through the dagger—and then through its wielder. Sasuke traced a quick, graceful arc through the Oto shinobi's neck. He quickly stepped in to the enemy formation, palming the chokuto into a reverse grip while stabbing the second enemy through the heart in one fluid motion before sweeping the blade around to eviscerate the third opponent. All three fell to muddy ground simultaneously, never to rise again.

Meanwhile, Naruto rushed to the left, skillfully deflecting the enemy kunai with a blast of wind. A quick salvo of his own kunai followed immediately, raking through the seven enemy shinobi. Two fell to the ground, mortally wounded, while three others staggered on with considerable wounds. Using his chakra channeling dagger, Naruto moved into to deal with the wounded enemies first.

His blade whistled a screaming song while he cut through them. The first went down rather quickly, learning the hard way to not bother trying to block his blade. The other two learned from their comrade's mistake, and did their best to dodge out of the way of Naruto's attacks. They haphazardly threw kunai to slow Naruto's advance, while two formidable looking Oto Jonin rushed from the tree line to reinforce them.

Simultaneously, Sakura ran through a series of seals faster than any of her foes had ever seen before. She placed one hand on the muddy ground, channeling a surge of earth chakra through the muddy mire. The mud under the seven Oto-nin to the front shot up, wrapping around the hapless enemies and constricting their movements. As soon as they were immobile, a quick salvo of kunai ended their existence.

But they weren't out of danger yet. As far as Sakura could tell, this had just been a bit of foreplay; the enemies that they had just massacred were very green, for the most part not even Chunin level. Six other nin had charged out the forest in three pairs; one pair headed for each of Team Seven. And they looked much more formidable.

Their cursed seals were all active to level two, and they all wore feral grins as they charged into the melee. The two that engaged Sasuke brandished large nodachi swords with blades rank with foul chakra. Sasuke nimbly dodged their initial strikes, ducking in between the two as their blades met with a loud crash over his head. He stabbed one in the stomach with his chokuto while he grabbed the other by the leg. The power of his Chidori Nagashi ran through both of them, knocking them backwards.

The lightning had stunned them, and Sasuke used the small window to press his advantage. He charged at the hideous beast that he had previously stabbed, slicing at his vitals with lightning charged blade. The enemy had just barely recovered in time, and blocked Sasuke's strike with his own blade. Each subsequent strike Sasuke made was deftly parried also. This lumbering lummox was also a competent swordsman.

Sasuke played the Genjutsu card once again, trapping the first monstrosity in a paralyzing nightmare, before quickly turning to block the second monstrosity's attack from behind. Sasuke swiftly cut in, bringing his blade across the enemy's wrist. The second one quickly backed off, missing his sword and sword hand while Sasuke finished off the first with a decapitating strike.

Rock-like armor began to cover the second one as it went into berserker mode preparing to tear Sasuke limb from limb. They met in melee once more; this time, Sasuke's blade was unable to make any meaningful damage to the enemy, but its stony fists were able to make quite an impression on Sasuke's light frame. After a few gut-wrenching punches, the granite covered behemoth swatted Sasuke's blade away, forcing Sasuke to withdraw and change his tactics.

Meanwhile, Sakura faced the fastest pair of enemies. The twisted pair of harpies danced around Sakura, avoiding her powerful blows. Their speed allowed them to dodge Sakura's deadly Taijutsu, while their own mid-ranged selection of sound techniques battered her about. Sakura just wasn't fast enough to get to either of them before the other would intervene, and her Earth Dragon Missile technique just didn't have the range or speed to make up for it.

Sakura back flipped along the muddy ground, one tiny step in front of their kunai and sound blasts. Sakura quickly ran through the seals for the Earth Dragon Missile once more, sending a trio of earthen missiles towards the closer of the two opponents. The harpy nimbly dodged them on the first pass, and charged straight towards Sakura, firing off a salvo of sonic blasts at her.

Three more earthen missiles sprung out of the ground, intercepting the sonic blasts. They raced towards the offending enemy, while the original three doubled back, surrounding the Oto shinobi as they rushed towards it, cutting off all lateral escape routes. The cornered enemy, sensing its only escape, leaped into the air. Sakura smirked sadistically, and directed the six Earth Dragon missiles upwards. They connected with the harpy, sending it hurtling upwards, knocked into a daze.

Just as the stunned enemy reached the peak of its flight, Sakura blinked into view just above it. "Say goodnight!" Sakura shouted as she used her massive, chakra enhanced strength to send her foe back screaming back to Earth like a meteor.

Before she could celebrate, though, her second foe blinked into view above her, sending her cartwheeling back to Earth with a point-blank sonic blast. She landed in a heap on the ground, motionless in the soft mud. The second harpy descended on her, and stabbed her in the back with a kunai.

To the enemy's horror, Sakura's body exploded into a flurry of cherry blossoms. "A Genjutsu!?" screamed the startled Oto-nin as vines began growing out of the earth, wrapping around her body, paralyzing her. They large vines soon reached its neck, and began squeezing with an inhuman strength.

Sakura herself was behind her foe, letting the Genjutsu reach its apex before wrapping her arms around her foe's neck. She quickly wrenched its head to one side, snapping its neck quickly and cleanly. She let the now lifeless body fall to the mud.

Her opponents now dispatched, Sakura turned to see how Naruto's fight was going. The sight that was presented to her nearly paralyzed her with fear. Naruto was on his knees, helpless, as the remaining enemy descended with blade drawn upon him. She darted to intervene, and soon noticed a black coated blur reach Naruto first, and shove him out of the way.

* * *

Sasuke had just finished his remaining foe with a Chidori when he noticed that Naruto had gotten himself caught in his remaining foe's trap. A small purple haze could be seen around Naruto as he hacked and coughed on the ground, and his enemy prepared to deliver the _coup de gr__â__ce_. "_Poison gas…I need to get to him fast!_" Sasuke said to himself. He charged in with reckless abandoned, shoving Naruto out of the gas cloud while taking the blow for him.

The enemy's sword pierced through his right lung, and tore through the front of his tunic. As he gasped in pain, Sasuke channeled a Chidori Nagashi up the blade that pierced him, shocking the enemy away before he fell to his knees. A split second later, Sakura descended on the enemy, and finished him, smearing his face across the blood-stained mire.

She quickly rushed to Sasuke's side, and gingerly pulled the sword out of his body. Naruto untangled himself from the remaining wires that bound him, and turned to see Sasuke wheezing in pain as Sakura tried to slow his bleeding. Naruto quickly injected himself with a poison antidote before rushing to Sakura's side. "How bad is he?" he asked, his lower lip trembling.

"Very bad…his right lung is collapsed. I need to stop the bleeding before, and keep him from asphyxiating." She worked diligently under the pressure, and used her masterful chakra control to bring the bleeding down to a manageable pace.

Sensing Naruto's anxiety, Sasuke chuckled weakly, "It's okay man…you would have done the same for me…" He coughed up some blood as Sakura began to close the wound in his chest.

Suddenly, they all sensed murderous intent beginning to surround their position. But one spot in particular stood out, a blazing inferno amongst a sea of candles. "Orochimaru!" Sasuke hissed weakly.

"We need to get out of here now!" Naruto cried, "We can finish patching Sasuke up later, right now we need to move!"

Sakura reluctantly stopped her ministrations, and lifted Sasuke to his feet. He staggered forward a step, and then began to fall. Sakura quickly caught him, whispering "You're too weak right now, Sasuke-kun…I'll carry you."

He reluctantly accepted. She slung one arm of his over her shoulder and pulled his body tight to hers as they began fleeing back to the rest of the group. Sakura hoped that he would be able to last long enough for them to get to the relative safety of their comrades. They rushed through the forest, hoping to escape, and dreading the snake that followed them.

* * *

**Endnotes**: Like always, reviews are greatly appreciated.


	14. Chapter 14: Prisoners of Fate

Chapter 14: Prisoners of Fate

**AN: **Revised as of 2/23/10.

* * *

"I'll take point and scout ahead," cried Naruto as Team Seven made its hasty retreat away from the clenching jaws of Orochimaru's minions. Without waiting for confirmation, Naruto raced ahead into the thick umbra of the forest canopy.

Sakura could only nod in frustration as he raced ahead. "Damn it, he can get on my nerves sometime," she muttered to herself. She hated seeing him go off alone like that, but soon realized that it was ultimately for the best. They couldn't afford to have her run into a trap while carrying the wounded Sasuke.

Sasuke weakly grunted in agreement. The last battle had taken all of the fight out of him; he couldn't even protest Sakura carrying him. Even with the regenerative capabilities he had gained from Orochimaru, he was still going to be weak for some time now. And he would hate every minute of it.

Finally, he summoned up the strength to speak up. "Sakura…" he whispered, "so you two really searched those whole six years to find me?"

"Of course we did, Sasuke-kun. You were our friend and teammate. We couldn't abandon you, no matter what."

He languished in silence for a moment, contemplating her answer. In truth, he felt a bit unworthy of their devotion. He knew full well how much pain and suffering he had caused them. It broke what little pride the Uchiha heir had left. Through all of this, though, he still held onto a shred of hope for redemption: the hope that somehow, someday, his team mates might forgive him for what he did to them.

Sensing Sasuke's depression, Sakura tried to cheer him up, "Hey, Sasuke-kun, don't worry about it. We'll be home safe soon. Just hold on, and we'll be able to treat your wounds in a bit."

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto charged ahead into the black spring night, darting from tree to tree as he forged onwards. All his senses were alert to any danger; he could not afford to let them run into a waiting enemy trap. They were only a few kilometers away from the rest of the force, but that few kilometers would be the most dangerous of the entire trip.

All the chips were on the table now. It was all or nothing, and both sides knew it. No one could afford to make any mistakes at this stage; it would be the difference between life and death.

The pale moonlight filtering through the tree canopy made his vision severely limited. To compensate, Naruto focused his efforts on hearing the movements of potential enemies in the darkness of the underbrush. As he ran, the din of the far off battle between the rest of Konoha's force and the Oto-nin began to increase in intensity.

"Almost there," Naruto muttered to himself, "We're almost there. We just need our luck to hold out for a few more minutes."

When he heard the distinct sound of footfalls rapidly begin to close in on him, Naruto's heart sank. Whatever divine spirit that had been watching over this wood apparently had not seen fit to grant him this small mercy. From the arrangement of their footfalls, Naruto could tell that this group of enemy was in a wide sweeping pattern. They'd cut of Team Seven's escape and surround them by linking up with the pursuing force.

A military historian explaining the events of this battle would likely describe it as a "classic envelopment pattern." Naruto had other words for the moment.

"Fuck!" he whispered under his breath as he doubled back. If they were extremely lucky, he'd reach Sasuke and Sakura in time to escape the net of enemies coming to surround them. Right now, though, he could only hope. He raced back to them with reckless abandon, praying that he'd make it on time.

* * *

Sasuke began to cough up blood as Sakura carried him through the forest canopy. He tried his best to stifle the coughing, but it was to no avail. Each spasm tore at his still fresh wound, causing more blood to flow into his lungs. The pain was intense, but he tried his best suppress any cries of pain.

Sakura quickly noticed his coughing. "Are you alright?!" she cried as he continued to cough, black blood beginning to cover his free hand that he clenched over his mouth. "Shit!" she muttered, "we have to stop the bleeding, or you'll die!"

She spotted a small clearing in the thicket and touched down in it next to a large boulder. She immediately set Sasuke up against the edifice, and began her desperate attempt to heal his wound. "You're not going to die on me, Sasuke-kun!" she cried, repeating it over and over like a religious mantra as she shunted healing green chakra into his reopened wound.

His bleeding began to slow, and she began to slowly relax, coming down off the nervous edge that his crisis had set her on. After a moment, Sasuke weakly smiled at her, "I'm not going to die now, Sakura."

As Naruto caught sight of Sasuke and Sakura in the clearing of the thicket, he was suddenly hit with an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. He was almost certain he'd seen this before, but he had no idea where. The nagging familiarity, though, was unsettling.

He quickly touched down in the clearing, and ran up to them. He crouched near them by the large boulder, desperate to relay his message to them. He could already hear the rustling in the thicket around them as the Oto-nin began to surround them.

"We're surrounded," he panted, "I tried to reach you in time to warn you, but they were too fast."

Sakura paused, quickly scanning the surroundings before nodding in agreement. She then brushed Sasuke's dirty, matted hair out of his face. "We've come this far, Sasuke-kun," she declared, "We're not giving up yet." She turned to Naruto and cried, "Status check!"

The realization hit Naruto like a ton of bricks. He was living his nightmare. Desperately, he hoped that this was just a pure coincidence. But as the memory of the nightmare continued to flood back with each passing moment, his determination began to sink. "I'm all out of kunai and shuriken," he replied, completely crestfallen, "but my chakra reserves are fine and I'm not wounded."

"My chakra is almost completely depleted," Sasuke replied forlornly, "My wounds aren't too bad, but I lost my katana in the last skirmish." With each word, Sasuke slowly lost what little defiant air he had left. Right before Naruto's eyes, the same defeated, broken Sasuke of Naruto's nightmare appeared before him.

"And my chakra is almost depleted too," Sakura admitted, "but, I still have a couple kunai and I'm not too badly hurt…" she trailed off, staring at the blood on her hand. She knew that Sasuke would barely be able to fight, and she'd very soon find herself in the same situation. Only Naruto would be able to put up any sort of a defense. Even for that most unpredictable of shinobi, the odds were overwhelming. "This is the end, isn't it?" she continued, hanging her head in despair. "The end of Team Seven, the end of our quest…the end of everything. Still, I'm glad to be with you two in our last moments." She smiled weakly, trying to find any joy she could in the grim and hopeless situation.

"_This can't be happening!_" Naruto desperately tried to convince himself. His mind began to race, searching for any possible way out. He hated to admit it, but he was all out of options. Resigned to his fate, he extended his hand to Sasuke and Sakura in one last show of solidairity. "I couldn't think of any better way to go then all of us fighting our last fight together," he croaked.

"Wait!" Sasuke exclaimed, "There is another way out of this." Sakura and Naruto stared intently at him as he continued. Naruto's mouth hung open in horror as the images of Sakura dying in his arms flashed before him. "Bargain me back to Orochimaru in exchange for your lives," Sasuke offered, taking care to avoid their eyes.

"Wait, no!" Sakura shouted in shock.

"You can't expect us to do that!" cried Naruto.

"Just listen!" he groaned, "Please, I can't let my mistakes get you two killed. You've already done more for me than anyone could ever ask for, and I won't let you die for my sins. You've done enough, please let me go…" As much as it pained Sasuke to say goodbye after so long, he knew that this pain would pale in comparison to the pain of knowing that he was responsible for the deaths of the only people left in this world who gave a damn about him. This was the price of his salvation, so he reckoned, and he would gladly bear it.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks, "You can't! You just can't do this!"

Sasuke gently wiped the tears from her eyes. "A monster like me doesn't deserve the love of an angel, Sakura." He kissed her softly, and continued, "This the only way." Oh, if only he had listened to her all those years before, if only to spare her this heartache. Instead, he had sought power at the cost of his soul, and now ultimately his life.

She nodded in acquiescence. They'd come so far, and now it had come to this. "I'll never forget you, Sasuke-kun!" As Naruto watched this sad irony unfold, he grew more determined to escape this fate. There had to be a way to get out of this.

"Wait, we can't let the Sharingan fall into Orochimaru's hands!" cried Naruto. Just as he had expected, Sasuke turned to him, his broken façade of despair turning one of determined courage.

"Already ahead of you, deadlast. I have no intention of letting my body fall into his hands. After I'm sure you're safe, I'll commit suicide."

Naruto sighed in frustration. He puzzled over a way to escape this farce and avoid the horrifying consequences. He knew Orochimaru could not be trusted, and that this plan wouldn't work. When he found the anwer, Naruto wasn't quite sure he was prepared for it, though. A realization hit them: no matter what plan they followed, one of them would have to die. Even if by some miracle they broke out of the encirclement, then there would be no way they could outrun the enemy unless one of them stayed behind to hold off the enemy. And that person would invariably be overwhelmed and killed.

Naruto swallowed hard. He couldn't let either of his precious people endure that fate.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan," Naruto whispered, "but I realize now that I cannot keep my promise to you."

Both Sasuke and Sakura looked at him, puzzled by his words. "What do you mean, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Even if I could give up my best friend, I could never allow you to come to harm. Sasuke's plan will never work; we cannot trust that snake. He'll make sure he gets us all."

"What are you saying Naruto?" Sasuke shouted, indignant, "there is no other way!"

"What did you mean by not being able to keep your promise to me?" Sakura cried.

"There is another way. We'll make a break out through their lines. It will be the last thing they'd expect. After we've broken through, I'll stay behind, and hold them off while you two escape…"

"You can't do that, Naruto!" Sasuke cried.

"Naruto…no, there has to be some other way. You…you can't leave me now!" Sakura wept as silent tears began to well up in her eyes.

Naruto wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her close. He savored their last embrace and whispered into her ear, "Sakura-chan, I'm so sorry that it had to come to this, but you have to trust me. This is the only way I can be sure that you will be safe…that you will make it out of here alive. We don't have much time left, but please, be strong, for Sasuke's sake. Just promise me that you'll move on. I know we'll meet again someday, somewhere." He kissed her one last time as they began to part. It was a passionate kiss, and it completely caught Sasuke off guard. "I love you, Naruto, she whispered into his ear."

In truth, Sasuke shouldn't be surprised. After all, it had been six years, and a lot can happen in that amount of time. This was awkward in many ways. Not being able to hear what Naruto said, presuming that Sakura still loved him after all that, kissing her in front of her paramour…this list goes on.

Sakura withdrew from the hug, summoning up all the strength she had left. She'd need every ounce of it to continue on now. Part of her would die with Naruto, but she knew that he trusted her to live on for his sake. She clasped his wrist firmly, a final show of solidarity with Naruto. "I'll see you on the other side," she muttered.

He still wanted to say so much to her. Out of all the things that ought have been said but had never been said; all the things things that ought have been done but had not been done, he could only manage one simple word: "Goodbye..."

Naruto nodded while Sasuke looked on, completely lost. Before Sasuke could ask anything, Sakura gave Naruto one last nod and grabbed a hold of Sasuke. Before Sasuke could protest, Sakura whisked him off, while Naruto followed along to escort them, Rasengan in hand. He bolted ahead, straight into a group of enemies, knocking them out of his path like bowling pins. Sakura lunged through the gap he created while Sasuke shouted in protest.

The still standing Oto-nin darted off after Sasuke and Sakura, but were quickly caught by Naruto. He threw them back into the melee, and did his very best to hold them off.

As Sakura carried him off into the night, Sasuke shouted in rage and sorrow: "Sakura! You can't do this to me!" he screamed, "we have to go back! We can't leave him behind! Sakura! You can't do this! No! He's fighting back there all alone…are you even listening to me?! Just look back there, Sakura! We can't leave him behind! Don't do this to me! Damn it Sakura, I can't let him die for my sake!"

It seems that Sasuke would play the role of her guilty conscience this night. In truth, she wanted to look back; to see him one last time. But she knew she couldn't afford to turn around and look. Seeing Naruto fighting his last fight all alone would break her. She'd end up heading back, and they'd all die together. But she couldn't put those feelings above the mission or her promise to Naruto. They'd have to live on for him. Even so, Sakura knew she'd hate herself for this the rest of her life.

Sasuke raged until his voice was hoarse. He sobbed violently as Sakura carried him off into the dark forest, back towards the rest of the teams waiting for them. He could hear Sakura crying too, though she desperately tried to cover it up. And he knew, that ultimately, he was the source of all of those tears.

* * *

**Endnotes:** Yes, I'm afraid this is the exciting conclusion to this little tale of love, devotion and tragedy. However, there will be an epilogue, which I will hopefully have up within the next day or two that will tie off the loose ends, and hopefully bring this all into perspective. I would like to thank all of my readers and reviewers for sticking with me this long. Thank you so much.


	15. Epilogue: The Divine Wings of Tragedy

Epilogue: The Divine Wings of Tragedy

**AN: **Well, this officially closes the door on this little saga. Please read the endnotes for some important information. Revised as of 2/23/10. Song lyrics shamelessly borrowed from "The Divine Wings of Tragedy" by Symphony X.

* * *

Naruto lingered one moment, watching to make doubly sure that his friends had safely made their escape, before throwing himself headlong into the melee. This would be his last stand. Whatever happened now simply did not matter; he'd already ensured that the people who were most precious to him were safe.

But he couldn't rest easy just yet. He'd have to hold them off as long as possible. His gut told him that this whole gambit was an impossible and futile exercise. But if he could not accomplish the impossible, he'd be faced with the unthinkable. He kept the sorrowful image of Sakura dying in his arms fresh in his mind just in case he needed any more motivation to fight on.

Surrounded, outnumbered and outmatched—what a way to end. Darting nimbly through the clearing, he refused to let anyone get past him. Each enemy he caught met a messy end by his Rasengan before he turned to the next. Soon the enemy began to close in on him, surrounding him at close range and lancing at his flesh with katana and kunai.

Parry, dodge, riposte; these became the three beats of his final dance with fate. The enemy was completely unrelenting. No matter how many casualties they took, no matter how many of their comrades they saw diced up before their eyes, they continued their attack. They wouldn't allow Naruto a single opening to prepare a more powerful counter. It was brutal and bloody, but ultimately the best strategy. Their blades began tearing into Naruto's flesh one by one.

There was just no way that he could block every one of their strikes. Between dodging long range sound attacks and close range sword strikes, he was simply spread too far, too thin. He'd see this through to the end, though. Everyone was counting on him. "_I can't give up. Not now, not ever!_" became his mantra, repeated over and over as he struggled on.

The final blow struck him straight through the heart. The icy blade of the katana plunged through his chest and red beating heart. He fell to his knees, gasping in pain, as the enemy continued to rend his flesh, making doubly sure that Naruto never got back up again. The agony was indescribable at first, but as he collapsed face-first onto the cold earth the pain began to dull, receding back from whence it came.

"_So this is what death feels like…_" he thought, "_strangely different from what I'd imagined. It's sort of peaceful, actually. Sure, the pain is kind of annoying, and the cold dirt leaves much to be desired, but it really isn't all that bad._" His thoughts began to wander as his assailants collected their wounded, and made the difficult decision to continue pursuit.

His thoughts came to Sasuke and Sakura. "_At least they're safe. That's all that really matters._" A chain of memories, all of their shared triumphs and tragedies, came rushing forth. "_They were my life; everything before we met just doesn't matter._" And though he'd never become Hokage, and would never be able to right the wrongs of the Hyuuga clan or continue to protect the villagers of Konoha, Naruto was satisfied that he had managed to keep the one promise that mattered the most. "_I saved Sasuke…no, wait, we saved him together. And I made sure they'd make it home safe. Still, there is so much I would have liked to have said. I never got to tell Sasuke how much I missed him, or really show Sakura-chan how much I loved her. We didn't get to spend enough time together._"

His body began to feel cold, and the pain completely ceased. The skin of his body felt as though it was wrapped with black velvet. The blackness took him, before fading into nothingness.

* * *

Six weeks later…

Once again, Uchiha Sasuke found himself in shackles before a tribunal. This time, though, the court room was bright and well lit, and Sasuke had no doubt of his own guilt. The most important of the council Elders sat before him on a raised bench, staring him down with eyes of icy contempt.

Sai, Sakura and Kakashi had dutifully come to his trial every day, trying to give Sasuke some sort of silent support. He'd been in solitary confinement for most of the past two months since his "rescue". The proceedings were fairly arcane, and he couldn't remember anything from them. The past weeks had all been a blur that he had tried desperately to forget.

The First Among Elders spoke, his authoritative and stern air filling the room with ice: "As you know, Uchiha Sasuke, you stand here accused of the most serious of crimes: treason and desertion from the armed forces. Let me be completely clear about this, Uchiha: your clan's privileged position in Konoha will not save you from retribution."

Sasuke nodded silently.

"As you well know," the Elder continued, "treason and desertion both carry the maximum penalty of life imprisonment. However, due to extenuating circumstances, as well as the Fifth Hokage's personal voucher for your future obedience to the laws of Konoha, the Council has decided to dismiss the charges of treason and desertion, and instead find you guilty of the lesser crime of sedition."

To say that this was a shock would be an understatement. To say it was unwelcome was even more of an understatement. Sasuke knew in his heart that he deserved neither pity nor mercy. It was his actions that had resulted in the death of his best friend, and the indescribable sorrow that he had caused to all those who were once close to him. He wanted to be punished, perhaps that might help ease his guilty conscience.

The commotion in the court room became quite disruptive. Everyone had expected a speedy conviction and sentencing. Meanwhile, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. At least Sasuke was safe from that fate. Sai sat impassive, not really knowing what to think about this whole situation. At the very least, there wasn't another tragedy added to this ever growing list.

The Elder smashed a gavel onto the table, silencing the court room. There were quite a few disappointed people out in the crowd. "We have decided to sentence you to one year of supervised probation. The conditions of your probation will require you to fulfill all the normal duties of a Konoha shinobi, but you will not be allowed to leave the village. In addition, the Council had decided, as punishment for your actions, the Uchiha estate shall be seized and liquidated, and your clan divested from its seat on the Council."

The commotion continued, this time much more hushed. The hawks had been satisfied with their pound of flesh now. "Let us make ourselves perfectly clear," the Elder scolded, "the Hokage might have enough trust you enough to let you run free, and while we recognize what a potent asset your martial skills will make for Konoha, we do not condone your actions, and will not show you any leniency in the future. You are dismissed, Uchiha."

The bailiff released Sasuke from his shackles, and motioned for Sasuke to leave the court room. As he left, he took great care to avert his eyes from Sakura. He couldn't show his face to her. If there was anyone who had the right to hate him, despise him and want him dead, it was her.

Sakura smiled meekly at him, hoping to get his attention. He walked right past her and Kakashi, without even saying a word or noticing their presence. A single tear ran down her cheek. Even though Naruto had made the ultimate sacrifice to save them, Team Seven might as well have died on that field. They were broken into a thousand tiny pieces now. Once again, she wondered if it would have been for the best to have died with Naruto.

She too left the court room, paying no attention to Kakashi. She needed to be alone right now. In complete silence, she walked to the Cenotaph. Naruto's name had been freshly carved into the monument's basalt face. Sakura found herself visiting the Cenotaph more often as the days went on after the tragedy. It was the one place where she could find some small measure of peace, and hope that all of the words that she had left unsaid to Naruto in life might reach him in death.

Kakashi had tried to follow after her, but Sai grabbed his shoulder, shaking his head as Kakashi turned to him. "Kakashi-senpai, I think Sakura needs some time alone right now. Besides, you were supposed to meet your new Genin team almost half an hour ago.

Kakashi sighed in frustration, knowing full well that Sai was right. For all of his emotional stunting, he was a perceptive young lad, and happened to have a different, perhaps clearer perspective on the issues of human emotions. "I should have never have agreed to take on a new team before we left on the mission. I really don't know if I can handle it right now," he muttered.

"I'm sure you'll be able to handle it. We'll meet up later for some ramen and talk. Right now, just take it one step at a time, senpai."

Kakashi nodded, and set off towards the Academy. At least he had a damn good reason for being late this time.

* * *

Sakura had been sitting in front of the Cenotaph for about an hour now. For the most part, she had spent that hour in silence, but every once in a while she'd mutter something out loud as though Naruto was still among the living, sitting right next to her. She missed everything about him so much. She would have given anything just to be annoyed by him once more.

But from now on, he'd be only a memory and a name carved in basalt. There would be no monuments to her hero. The Kyuubi container would soon be happily forgotten by the village, and only remembered by his friends. It wasn't the ending that he deserved, and Sakura blamed herself for it.

Her thoughts kept going back to that fateful day when Naruto had set out the first time to bring Sasuke back. The promise he had made would haunt her for the rest of her life. In her mind, she had selfishly manipulated Naruto to get Sasuke back. The fact that Naruto wanted his friend back as much as she did was lost on her. Naruto's promise of a lifetime had cost him his life. She was confused and upset, unable to figure out what was up and what was down.

Sure, she was glad to see Sasuke back safely in Konoha. But it had come at an unbearable price. She would have to live with this for the rest of her days.

Sakura heard a soothing, familiar voice behind her. "I thought I'd find you here, Sakura."

"Ino? What are you doing here?"

"I came to bring Naruto some flowers," Ino replied as she sat down next to Sakura. "I figured that was the very least I could do after this debacle. And besides, you need some company."

Sakura turned to the blond haired woman, her lip trembling with trepidation. Ino carefully set down the small bouquet of flowers, and without warning pulled her pink-haired friend close, hugging her tightly. In spite of all of their past animosity and petty rivalries, Ino knew that right now was the time that Sakura needed her the most. The demons of their past would just have to take a number and wait.

"Oh Ino," Sakura sobbed into her shoulder, "It's my fault that he's dead! My selfishness got Naruto killed!"

"It's okay, Sakura, I'm here for you now," the blond kunoichi whispered, "I know you need a good cry, but you can't blame yourself for his death. Naruto wouldn't want you to go on like this. He wouldn't blame you, and you shouldn't blame yourself either."

Ino held Sakura close until her sobbing stopped, and the sun began to retreat from the sky. Ino vowed that she would be there to comfort her friend from now on, the past be damned. Sakura needed a friend now most of all. "Oh honey," Ino soothed, "No one is to blame for what happened. As much as I want to hate Sasuke for what happened, I can't. He's suffering as much as you from this, in his own silent way. You should talk to him."

"We haven't spoken since the night that Naruto... he must blame me for all of this. I can't help but think he's right too."

Ino sighed. Her friend was going to be a basket case for some time now. "Well, I really don't think that's the case. Either way you have to talk to him. Do it for Naruto, if nothing else."

* * *

Sasuke was alone, in the fullest sense of the word. A pariah among the Villagers, hated and feared even by his friends. And he couldn't blame them for any of it. He was a monster who had betrayed the only people in the world who had cared about him. He'd disappointed his teacher, shamed his family name, and earned the hatred of the one person left alive who had loved him the most. He couldn't blame Sakura if she never forgave him for what happened.

Sasuke lay alone in the tiny cramped apartment provided for him. He stared at the ceiling, unable to summon the will to do anything but lay there. Nothing he could do seemed to make the guilt go away. Haggard from the lack of sleep, he rolled over onto his side and tried to drift off. The nightmares would come again, but right now, it seemed to be the appropriate self-flagellation.

But it wasn't working. He was too tired to sleep. He groaned as he sat up on the edge of his bed. Running his fingers through his hair, he sighed, "Naruto, you were right. You were right about everything."

Sasuke heard a knock at his door. "Who the hell could that be?" he muttered before shuffling to the door. He opened the door, and tried to place the name to the face of the Hyuuga girl standing outside his door. Then she punched him square in the jaw. Caught completely off guard, he crumpled to the floor. He looked up at her, slightly shocked, and could easily tell she was pissed. Finally the light bulb went on: "_Ah_, _Hinata: the Hyuuga girl who had the thing for Naruto...this is completely out of character for her, isn't it?_"

She scowled at him as he pulled himself up from the floor. "Hinata, wasn't it?" he asked but didn't wait for confirmation before continuing. "I am so sorry...for everything. And I know that nothing I can ever do well ever make things right, or take away the pain you must be feeling."

Hinata was shocked. Since when had Sasuke looked, acted or sounded so...so...pathetic? She wanted to hate him for what he had done, for all the pain he had caused, and the lives he had destroyed. She wanted to tear him limb from limb for Naruto's death. But seeing him like this, so broken and utterly defeated, she just couldn't hate him. And that pissed her off even more. She sighed once, and then clocked him in the face again before storming off.

Sasuke fell into one of his dressers, knocking most of the clutter off the top. A picture frame had landed squarely on his chest. Sasuke pulled it up, and stared at the photograph it contained. It was the group photo, taken all those years ago. Those days would never come again, and he felt the yearning in his heart for his lost friend. And he cried.

_Looking out on a blue sky  
I can see a new world arising  
Like a prisoner unbound  
I feel the power and the majesty  
again_

_Looking up to the heavens  
I can see what I left behind  
Beneath the stars, moon and  
warm sun  
And all I know,  
is my paradise has begun ..._

* * *

**Endnotes: **As you may well realize, this story is spectacularly incomplete. It leaves more questions than answers, and provides very little real closure for the participants involved in the tragedy.

It may surprise you to know that this fic should have never been. When I set out into the world of Naruto fanfiction, I had no intention of writing this story. This was all intended to be back story for another fic I was writing, which is titled "Runes to My Memory". It has languished in incompletion on for some time now.

I had originally planned to cover the key events of this plot with flashbacks and character conversation in Runes, but as I set about the task to plan that out, it became quickly apparent that such a method could not adequately tell the tale. So, Prisoners of Fate was born. I have now begun the process of revising Runes to My Memory, and will begin the process of posting it on .

I'd encourage everyone who enjoyed this fic to go check out its sequel. Chapter 1 will already be up by the time of this posting.

In all, for a story that I never planned to write, I fairly satisfied with Prisoners of Fate. The six-month long journey of writing this fic, and reading all of the positive feedback from my readers has been quite a treasure. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed and read this fic; your comments gave me the strength to carry this story through to its conclusion. So I bid you adieu for now.


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